Hi, I'm Florian Roth, a applied economist from Basel, Switzerland.

Abstract

The provision of healthcare leads to high environmental impacts and economic costs for our society. Within the healthcare sector, hospitals are a main contributor to both aspects. In order to determine which areas of a hospital contribute most to the environmental impact, a life cycle assessment of 33 acute care hospitals in Switzerland was conducted. The environmental impact of these hospitals was analysed at midpoint level for 16 environmental impact categories. The functional unit (FU) was defined as healthcare services provided by one full-time equivalent for one year. The analysis shows that building infrastructure and catering are the main contributors for various environmental impacts, followed by heating and electricity. Waste and wastewater, pharmaceuticals, and medical and housekeeping products are relevant for at least three categories, whereas textiles, and paper use and printing are only relevant for one to two categories. Direct water use and laundry, and large medical equipment are only responsible for a small share of the impact in all categories. The carbon footprint of an average hospital is 3.2 tonnes CO₂eq per FU and the main impact stems from heating with 0.82 t CO₂eq per FU. The large variation in the environmental impact of different hospitals reveals that there is a considerable yet untapped potential for sustainability improvements in the hospital sector.

Abstract

We evaluate the effect of the introduction of a mileage tax for trucks in Switzerland in 2001 on traffic volume and externalities. Using a regression discontinuity design, we find a reduction in overall truck traffic of around 4–6%, no effects on car traffic and time-shifted placebos, suggestive evidence for traffic substitution toward rail, and negative effects on nitrogen oxides at curbside monitors. Complementary estimates on the effects of the German mileage tax and complementary estimates based on the synthetic control method are broadly consistent with our main results, although the latter are not statistically significant. Depending on prevailing levels of transportation costs, mileage tax-induced transportation cost increases may accelerate or reverse spatial economic concentration processes. Such implications for economic geography featured prominently in Switzerland and are a promising area for future research.

Abstract

I exploit the cantonal and temporal variation in the incentive schemesfor fuel-efficient cars to identify the potential rebound effect on vehicle kilo-meters traveled in Switzerland. Separate availability of fuel efficiency andvehicle usage data requires the employment of a two sample two stageleast squares estimator. In contrast to previous research, I find no evidencefor a rebound effect in Switzerland in the 1998–2010 period.