Coral bleaching is associated with large income shocks and a substantial decrease in protein consumption among the affected fishery households in Indonesia [Chaijaroen (2019) Long-lasting income shocks and adaptations: evidence from coral bleaching in Indonesia. Journal of Development Economics136, 119–136]. According to the health and economics literature, early childhood exposures to shocks such as those from coral bleaching can have long-lasting effects on health, schooling, and other later-life outcomes. This paper explores how the mass coral bleaching in 1998 affected household decisions on fertility and child development. Using the Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS) and a triple differences approach, results from 2000 suggest an increase in fertility and an increased likelihood of severe childhood stunting among the affected households. For comparison, rainfall shocks are associated with a decrease in fertility and smaller adverse effects on child health and schooling outcomes. This study suggests that the effects of coral bleaching might have been underestimated, and our findings yield more targeted policy recommendations on climate shock mitigation.

珊瑚白化与印度尼西亚受影响渔业家庭的巨大收入冲击和蛋白质消费量大幅下降有关 [Chaijaroen (2019) 长期收入冲击和适应：来自印度尼西亚珊瑚白化的证据。发展经济学杂志136, 119–136]。根据健康和经济学文献，儿童早期暴露于珊瑚白化等冲击会对健康、学校教育和其他晚年生活产生长期影响。本文探讨了 1998 年的大规模珊瑚白化如何影响家庭对生育和儿童发展的决定。使用印度尼西亚家庭生活调查 (IFLS) 和三重差异方法，2000 年的结果表明，受影响家庭的生育率增加，儿童严重发育迟缓的可能性增加。相比之下，降雨冲击与生育率下降以及对儿童健康和教育成果的不利影响较小有关。这项研究表明，珊瑚白化的影响可能被低估了，