Data and Code: Air Pollution After the Shutdown of U.S. Embassy Monitoring.
Year: 2026
Type: dataset
Abstract: For more than a decade, U.S. embassies and consulates provided independent, publicly accessible air-quality information in cities worldwide. In 2025, this program was abruptly suspended, generating sharp drops in the availability of trusted pollution information. We evaluate the consequences of this change using real-time satellite-derived aerosol optical depth (AOD) and a matched difference-in-differences design with same-country control cities. Across 46 cities, we find no systematic trends prior to the halt in U.S. reporting, and a prompt 24-33\% increase in local pollution levels after reporting stopped. Calibrating AOD to concurrent pre-shutdown embassy PM2.5 readings, the main estimate corresponds to an approximate PM2.5-equivalent increase of 1.9 micrograms per cubic meter under our preferred conservative translation, with alternative approaches yielding values between 1.5 and 16.3 micrograms per cubic meter. Estimated effects are largest and most persistent in cities with poor substitutes for the U.S.-provided data. The findings indicate that pollution reductions are not guaranteed by either previous air quality improvements or the legacy of reliable environmental data.
Source: Figshare
Language: English
Subfield: Environmental Engineering
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7202300446