Publications
Publications
- 2024
- HBS Working Paper Series
Migration, Climate Similarity, and the Consequences of Climate Mismatch
By: Marguerite Obolensky, Marco Tabellini and Charles Taylor
Abstract
This paper examines the concept of “climate matching” in migration—the idea that migrants seek out destinations with familiar climates. Focusing on the US, we document that temperature distance between origin and destination predicts the distribution of migrants across counties. This pattern holds for internal and international migration in the past (1850-1940) and today (2011-2019), and is not explained by the spatial correlation of climate or the persistence of ethnic networks. We provide suggestive evidence for two mechanisms driving climate matching: climate-specific skills and climate-as-amenity. Then, we study the implications of climate matching for migrants. Leveraging plausibly exogenous variation in climate mismatch, we document that climate distance reduces life expectancy among immigrants, and increases mortality rates for their US-born children. We calculate an individual-level mortality cost of a 1°C change in climate to be $5,250.
Keywords
Migration; Climate; Immigration; Residency; Weather; Ethnicity; Climate Change; Geographic Location; Policy; United States
Citation
Obolensky, Marguerite, Marco Tabellini, and Charles Taylor. "Migration, Climate Similarity, and the Consequences of Climate Mismatch." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 24-031, November 2023. (Revised November 2024. Also available from VoxEU, e-axes, and HBS Working Knowledge.)