Abstract

This thesis will attempt to determine the monetary value of clean air quality based of changes in county level residential housing prices in Colorado that resulted from its implementation of House Bill 13-1293 in 2013. This piece of legislation focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Colorado by declaring climate change as a serious statewide issue and creating a role in the Colorado government with the sole purpose of actively combatting climate change. Based off theory and relevant literature, I believe that as county level greenhouse gas emissions were reduced in Colorado following the implementation of House Bill 13-1293, housing prices rose due to consumers increased willingness to pay for the homes after an improvement in air quality. Using a difference in differences estimation, I will study the relationship between county level greenhouse gas emissions and housing prices between counties in Colorado, Arizona, Utah, and Wyoming from 2011 to 2017. Using results of this difference in differences estimation, I will show how my hypothesis is supported by empirical evidence, and discuss the implications of these findings.

Advisor

Chaudhary, Sookti

Department

Economics

Disciplines

Economics | Environmental Studies

Keywords

Hedonics, Difference in Differences, Environmental Amenity

Publication Date

2023

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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