The Effects of Straw Burning Bans on the Use of Cooking Fuels in China

Abstract

The mitigating effects of straw burning bans on air pollution are widely known; however, their effects on indoor air pollution are generally ignored. Cooking fuel use is an important factor that affects indoor air quality. However, the debate over the pros and cons of a province-wide ban on straw burning has been a major issue in environmental economics. By utilizing household survey data, this study investigates the role of straw burning bans on cooking fuel use in households. To infer causal relationships, difference-in-difference models that compare households in provinces with and without a complete ban on open straw burning (COSB) are employed. The results show that COSBs promote the use of clean cooking fuels and discourage the use of firewood for cooking by households. These results hold true after a series of robustness tests, such as parallel trends and placebo tests. However, the results show that the effect of COSBs on the household use of coal as a cooking fuel is not significant. Further analysis shows heterogeneity in the effects of COSBs on the use of household cooking fuels. Thus, COSBs promote the conversion to cleaner cooking fuels in rural households, but the implementation of these policies needs to be contextualized.