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A population’s physical health is very highly correlated with their economic health. [1] If COVID-19 has a significant impact on carbon emissions it’s because

by zaroth 7y ago

A population’s physical health is very highly correlated with their economic health. [1] If COVID-19 has a significant impact on carbon emissions it’s because it caused significant economic depression. A significant economic depression dramatically increases poverty levels, and increasing poverty would cost significantly more lives even than will be lost to COVID itself. [2] The life expectancy gap between the poorest and wealthiest Americans is about 15 years. [3] [1] - https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/poverty-vs-life-expectancy?time=1981..2014 https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/poverty-vs-life-expectanc... [2] - https://twitter.com/ballouxfrancois/status/1238837173111140352?s=21 https://twitter.com/ballouxfrancois/status/12388371731111403... [3] - http://news.mit.edu/2016/study-rich-poor-huge-mortality-gap-us-0411 http://news.mit.edu/2016/study-rich-poor-huge-mortality-gap-...

nicoburns 7y ago
Yes, but still not nearly as many as if say bangladesh floods.
_bxg1 7y ago
> The life expectancy gap between the poorest and wealthiest Americans is about 15 years. That's a function of our broken system, not our overall wealth as a nation. Poverty in the U.S. has been increasing alongside GDP for years now. Restoring the economy to the way it was won't solve that.
- zaroth 7y ago
  The life expectancy versus poverty correlation is observed consistently worldwide. Poverty rates in the US peaked at 15% in 2010 and have been going down since. Last year 11.8%. [1] Poverty causes a lot of damage, see for example, opioid deaths. [1] - https://www.statista.com/statistics/200463/us-poverty-rate-since-1990/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/200463/us-poverty-rate-s...
alok-g 7y ago
Thanks. This is such a useful and insightful comment, @zaroth.
thatcat 7y ago
Some of the effects of poverty are due to long working hours and stress from long commutes. In the US, many people can never take time off work, so there should be some health benefits from a brief economic break for an extremely overworked population.
- zaroth 7y ago
  I have a hard time believing that this particular time off of work is going to lead to reduced stress, don’t you? The stress isn’t typically so much caused by working, it’s caused by being in financial distress. I’ve had a few years with virtually no income. I’ve had to work 80 hours a week to provide for my family. I’m not saying my personal experience is particularly valid or applicable to the general population, but instinctively the times of my greatest stress and anxiety haven’t been the times I’ve worked hardest if that also meant I had enough income to buy groceries and pay rent. It’s the times when no matter how hard you work you still fear for your financial security and worry where the next month’s rent payment is coming from... I’m generally “immune” to even extraordinary levels of at-work stress, but financial stress by far has been the worst anxiety (bordering on panic) I’ve ever felt.
  - thatcat 7y ago
    You're right in that the psychological stress from uncertainty can be much more overwhelming than physiological stress from burnout. I doubt you're "immune" to burnout though.
    - zaroth 7y ago
      Sorry, the quotes around immune were meant to relay that I didn’t mean it literally and indeed recognizing that it’s a common (and unhealthy) misconception people can have about themselves. Those two bytes of ASCII didn’t fully communicate all of that? </s>
- wool_gather 7y ago
  > health benefits from a brief economic break for an extremely overworked population There might be if they could believe they were going back to work as usual -- meaning usual level of earnings -- any time soon. That's not at all clear. It's wishful thinking that this is a relaxing vacation for hourly service industry workers.

by zaroth 7y ago

nicoburns 7y ago

Yes, but still not nearly as many as if say bangladesh floods.

_bxg1 7y ago

> The life expectancy gap between the poorest and wealthiest Americans is about 15 years. That's a function of our broken system, not our overall wealth as a nation. Poverty in the U.S. has been increasing alongside GDP for years now. Restoring the economy to the way it was won't solve that.

zaroth 7y ago
The life expectancy versus poverty correlation is observed consistently worldwide. Poverty rates in the US peaked at 15% in 2010 and have been going down since. Last year 11.8%. [1] Poverty causes a lot of damage, see for example, opioid deaths. [1] - https://www.statista.com/statistics/200463/us-poverty-rate-since-1990/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/200463/us-poverty-rate-s...

alok-g 7y ago

Thanks. This is such a useful and insightful comment, @zaroth.

thatcat 7y ago

Some of the effects of poverty are due to long working hours and stress from long commutes. In the US, many people can never take time off work, so there should be some health benefits from a brief economic break for an extremely overworked population.

zaroth 7y ago
I have a hard time believing that this particular time off of work is going to lead to reduced stress, don’t you? The stress isn’t typically so much caused by working, it’s caused by being in financial distress. I’ve had a few years with virtually no income. I’ve had to work 80 hours a week to provide for my family. I’m not saying my personal experience is particularly valid or applicable to the general population, but instinctively the times of my greatest stress and anxiety haven’t been the times I’ve worked hardest if that also meant I had enough income to buy groceries and pay rent. It’s the times when no matter how hard you work you still fear for your financial security and worry where the next month’s rent payment is coming from... I’m generally “immune” to even extraordinary levels of at-work stress, but financial stress by far has been the worst anxiety (bordering on panic) I’ve ever felt.
- thatcat 7y ago
  You're right in that the psychological stress from uncertainty can be much more overwhelming than physiological stress from burnout. I doubt you're "immune" to burnout though.
  - zaroth 7y ago
    Sorry, the quotes around immune were meant to relay that I didn’t mean it literally and indeed recognizing that it’s a common (and unhealthy) misconception people can have about themselves. Those two bytes of ASCII didn’t fully communicate all of that? </s>
wool_gather 7y ago
> health benefits from a brief economic break for an extremely overworked population There might be if they could believe they were going back to work as usual -- meaning usual level of earnings -- any time soon. That's not at all clear. It's wishful thinking that this is a relaxing vacation for hourly service industry workers.