Date of This Version
12-27-2025
Abstract
In 2004, Italy introduced a national program to address heat-related health risks, combining public awareness campaigns, heat-wave warning systems, and hospital protocols. Leveraging administrative mortality data and high-frequency temperature variation, we show that the program reduced heat-related mortality by more than 57% on days at or above 30°C. To identify the mechanisms, we exploit the staggered introduction of heat-wave warning systems across provinces and show that treated areas experienced substantially larger reductions in heat-related mortality. We further document that information disclosure plays a key role in driving these reductions. Overall, our findings underscore the importance of public adaptation policies that rely on information provision to cost-effectively mitigate the health impacts of extreme temperatures.
Recommended Citation
Pavanello, Filippo and Valenti, Giulia, "Mortality, Temperature, and Public Adaptation Policy: Evidence from Italy" (December 27, 2025). Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei Working Papers. Paper 1492.
https://services.bepress.com/feem/paper1492