The Impact of Temperature on Mortality
in Argentinean Municipalities
Christian Martín García-Witulski and Mariano Javier Rabassa
Abstract Although earlier studies have documented the influence of weather on
human health in major Argentine cities, these studies lack national coverage. Moreover, the use of different health metrics and weather parameters makes it impossible
to assess any geographic heterogeneity of impacts. We aimed to analyze the effect of
hot and cold temperatures on human mortality rates in Argentina and their differential impacts by age and sex. The study rests on nonparametric techniques applied to
data with a panel structure to estimate the causal effect of temperature extremes on
mortality risks. Our findings confirm that extreme temperatures increase mortality
rates relative to mean monthly temperatures, but the impact of colder than average
temperatures is larger in magnitude. On average, a day with a countrywide mean
temperature of 5
◦ C increases overall monthly mortality rate by 3.5% points with
respect to the observed mortality for a day with countrywide average temperature.
As expected, there exists substantial heterogeneity between age groups, with older
people facing larger risks. To a lesser extent, there are also heterogeneous impacts
by gender and geographic regions. These findings provide relevant information for
policy makers about potential impacts of changing temperatures over Argentina in
the upcoming decades.
Keywords Temperature · Climate change · Mortality · Vulnerability · Argentina
Introduction
Climate change represents a major threat for humans and other forms of life in
our planet. The potential impact of climate and climate variability on the social
and environmental determinants of health outcomes is at the forefront of scientific
C. M. García-Witulski (B) · M. J. Rabassa
Facultad de Ciencias Económicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina, Avenida Alicia
Moreau de Justo 1400, C1107AAZ Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
e-mail: christian_garcia@uca.edu.ar
M. J. Rabassa
e-mail: mariano_rabassa@uca.edu.ar
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
M. E. Belfiori and M. J. Rabassa, (eds.) The Economics of Climate Change
in Argentina, The Latin American Studies Book Series,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62252-7_1
3
in Argentinean Municipalities
Christian Martín García-Witulski and Mariano Javier Rabassa
Abstract Although earlier studies have documented the influence of weather on
human health in major Argentine cities, these studies lack national coverage. Moreover, the use of different health metrics and weather parameters makes it impossible
to assess any geographic heterogeneity of impacts. We aimed to analyze the effect of
hot and cold temperatures on human mortality rates in Argentina and their differential impacts by age and sex. The study rests on nonparametric techniques applied to
data with a panel structure to estimate the causal effect of temperature extremes on
mortality risks. Our findings confirm that extreme temperatures increase mortality
rates relative to mean monthly temperatures, but the impact of colder than average
temperatures is larger in magnitude. On average, a day with a countrywide mean
temperature of 5
◦ C increases overall monthly mortality rate by 3.5% points with
respect to the observed mortality for a day with countrywide average temperature.
As expected, there exists substantial heterogeneity between age groups, with older
people facing larger risks. To a lesser extent, there are also heterogeneous impacts
by gender and geographic regions. These findings provide relevant information for
policy makers about potential impacts of changing temperatures over Argentina in
the upcoming decades.
Keywords Temperature · Climate change · Mortality · Vulnerability · Argentina
Introduction
Climate change represents a major threat for humans and other forms of life in
our planet. The potential impact of climate and climate variability on the social
and environmental determinants of health outcomes is at the forefront of scientific
C. M. García-Witulski (B) · M. J. Rabassa
Facultad de Ciencias Económicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina, Avenida Alicia
Moreau de Justo 1400, C1107AAZ Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
e-mail: christian_garcia@uca.edu.ar
M. J. Rabassa
e-mail: mariano_rabassa@uca.edu.ar
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
M. E. Belfiori and M. J. Rabassa, (eds.) The Economics of Climate Change
in Argentina, The Latin American Studies Book Series,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62252-7_1
3