编号：E-2025-12-7
题目：Crops, Insects, and Diseases: Unintended Consequences of Straw-burning Ban on Ecosystem and Human Health
作者：Congyuan Cui , Gordon G. Liu , Zhengwen Liu , Yun Qiu , Wen Wang
联系方式：Zhengwen Liu, zhengwenliu@pku.edu.cn
摘要：This study shows that environmental policies can unintentionally disrupt ecosystems, affecting other species and, in turn, human health. Exploiting China’s staggered straw-burning ban, we find a 50.2% increase in hospitalizations and a 173% rise in medical spending for insect-related diseases, offsetting about 11% of the health gains from cleaner air. We confirm that the ban reduced cropland fires, increased insect populations, and spurred public defensive investments against insect bites, suggesting that the policy improved insect habitats and thereby facilitated insect-borne diseases transmission. These effects largely disappear where straw recycling is effective, highlighting that complementary recycling policies can neutralize unintended harms and maximize pollution-control benefits.
