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Yue H, Worrell E, Crijns-Graus W, Wagner F, Zhang S, Hu J. Air Quality and Health Implications of Coal Power Retirements Attributed to Industrial Electricity Savings in China. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:9187-9199. [PMID: 38691631 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c09517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
The coal-dominated electricity system, alongside increasing industrial electricity demand, places China into a dilemma between industrialization and environmental impacts. A practical solution is to exploit air quality and health cobenefits of industrial energy efficiency measures, which has not yet been integrated into China's energy transition strategy. This research examines the pivotal role of industrial electricity savings in accelerating coal plant retirements and assesses the nexus of energy-pollution-health by modeling nationwide coal-fired plants at individual unit level. It shows that minimizing electricity needs by implementing more efficient technologies leads to the phaseout of 1279 hyper-polluting units (subcritical, <300 MW) by 2040, advancing the retirement of these units by an average of 7 years (3-16 years). The retirements at different locations yield varying levels of air quality improvements (9-17%), across six power grids. Reduced exposure to PM2.5 could avoid 123,100 pollution-related cumulative deaths over the next 20 years from 2020, of which ∼75% occur in the Central, East, and North grids, particularly coal-intensive and populous provinces (e.g., Shandong and Jiangsu). These findings provide key indicators to support geographically specific policymaking and lay out a rationale for decision-makers to incorporate multiple benefits into early coal phaseout strategies to avoid lock-in risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Yue
- School of Management, Zhengzhou University, Science Avenue 100, 450001 Zhengzhou, China
- Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, Princetonlaan 8a, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Ernst Worrell
- Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, Princetonlaan 8a, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Wina Crijns-Graus
- Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, Princetonlaan 8a, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Fabian Wagner
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Schlossplatz 1, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
| | - Shaohui Zhang
- School of Economics and Management, Beihang University, Xueyuan Road 37, 100191 Beijing, China
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Schlossplatz 1, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
| | - Jing Hu
- Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development, Utrecht University, Princetonlaan 8a, 3584 CB Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Picetti R, Juel R, Milner J, Bonell A, Karakas F, Dangour AD, Yeung S, Wilkinson P, Hughes R. Effects on child and adolescent health of climate change mitigation policies: A systematic review of modelling studies. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 238:117102. [PMID: 37689334 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 07/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/11/2023]
Abstract
There is a growing body of modelling evidence that demonstrates the potential for immediate and substantial benefits to adult health from greenhouse gas mitigation actions, but the effects on the health of younger age groups is largely unknown. We conducted a systematic review to identify the available published evidence of the modelled effects on child and adolescent health (≤18 years of age) of greenhouse gas mitigation. We searched six databases of peer-reviewed studies published between January 1, 1990 and July 27, 2022, screened 27,282 original papers and included 23 eligible papers. All included studies were set in high- and middle-income countries; and all studies modelled the effects of interventions that could mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality. Most of the available evidence suggests positive benefits for child and adolescent respiratory health from greenhouse gas mitigation actions that simultaneously reduce air pollution (specifically PM2.5 and nitrogen dioxide). We found scant evidence on child and adolescent health from regions more vulnerable to climate change, or on mitigation interventions that could affect exposures other than air pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Picetti
- Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK; Department of Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
| | - Rachel Juel
- Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK; Department of Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - James Milner
- Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK; Department of Public Health, Environments and Society, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Ana Bonell
- Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK; Centre for Maternal Adolescent Reproductive & Child Health (MARCH), London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK; Department of Clinical Research, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Filiz Karakas
- Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK; Department of Public Health, Environments and Society, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Alan D Dangour
- Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK; Department of Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Shunmay Yeung
- Centre for Maternal Adolescent Reproductive & Child Health (MARCH), London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK; Department of Clinical Research, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Paul Wilkinson
- Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK; Department of Public Health, Environments and Society, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Robert Hughes
- Centre on Climate Change and Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK; Department of Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK; Centre for Maternal Adolescent Reproductive & Child Health (MARCH), London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
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Safaei Kouchaksaraei E, Khosravani Semnani A, Powell KM, Kelly KE. Regional impacts on air quality and health of changing a manufacturing facility's grid-boiler to a combined heat and power system. JOURNAL OF THE AIR & WASTE MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION (1995) 2023; 73:760-776. [PMID: 37602777 DOI: 10.1080/10962247.2023.2248922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023]
Abstract
Poor air quality is linked to numerous adverse health effects including strokes, heart attacks, and premature death. Improving energy efficiency in the industrial sector reduces air emissions and yields health benefits. One of these strategies, replacing an existing grid boiler (GB) with a combined heat and power (CHP) system, can improve a facility's energy efficiency but can also increase local air emissions, which in turn can affect health outcomes. Previous studies have considered air-emissions and health outcomes of CHP system installation at a single location, but few studies have investigated the regional air quality and health impacts of replacing an existing GB with new CHP system. This study estimates the emission changes and associated health impacts of this shift in 14 regions in the US, representing different electricity generation profiles. It assumes that one manufacturing facility in each region switches from an existing GB to a CHP system. The monetized annual US health benefits of shifting a single GB to a CHP in each of the 14 regions range from $-5.3 to 0.55 million (2022 USD), while including CHP emission control increases the benefits by 100-170% ($9,000 to 1.15 million (2022 USD)). This study also includes a sensitivity analysis, which suggests that the facility location (region, state, and county), boiler efficiency, and emission control of the CHP are key factors that would determine whether shifting from a GB to CHP system would result in health benefits or burdens.Implications: Combined heat and power (CHP) systems offer industrial facilities the opportunity to improve their energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, CHP systems also combust more fuel on site and can also increase local air emissions. This study evaluates how converting an existing grid boiler (GB) system to a CHP system (with or without emission control) affects local (from combustion) and regional emissions (from electricity consumption) and the associated health burdens in different US regions. A facility can use this study's analysis as an example for estimating the tradeoffs between local emission changes, regional emission changes, and health effects. It also provides a comparison between the incremental cost of adding SCR (compared to uncontrolled CHPs) and the NPV of the monetized health benefits associated with adding the SCR.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kody M Powell
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Kerry E Kelly
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
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Zhao Z, Li Q, Shao Y, Tan C, Zhou C, Fan H, Li L, Zheng C, Gao X. Prediction of inlet SO 2 concentration of wet flue gas desulfurization (WFGD) by operation parameters of coal-fired boiler. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:53089-53102. [PMID: 36853530 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-25988-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boilers with wet flue gas desulfurization (WFGD) system is a popular technology for SO2 removal in the coal-fired thermal power plant. However, the long response time of continues emission monitoring system (CEMS) and the hardness of continuously monitoring the coal properties leads to the difficulties for controlling WFGD. It is important to build a model that is adaptable to the fluctuation of load and coal properties, which can obtain the SO2 concentration ahead CEMS, without relying on coal properties. In this paper, a prediction model of inlet SO2 concentration of WFGD considering the delay between the features and target based on long-short term memory (LSTM) network with auto regression feature is established. The SO2 concentration can be obtained 90 s earlier than CEMS. The model shows good adaptability to the fluctuation of SO2 concentration and coal properties. The root-mean-squared error (RMSE) and R squared (R2) of the model are 30.11 mg/m3 and 0.986, respectively. Meanwhile, a real-time prediction system is built on the 220 t/h unit. A field test for long-term operation has been conducted. The prediction system is able to continuously and accurately predict the inlet SO2 concentration of the WFGD, which can provide the operators with an accurate reference for the control of WFGD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongyang Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, State Environmental Protection Center for Coal-Fired Air Pollution Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Qinwu Li
- State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, State Environmental Protection Center for Coal-Fired Air Pollution Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Yuhao Shao
- State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, State Environmental Protection Center for Coal-Fired Air Pollution Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Chang Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, State Environmental Protection Center for Coal-Fired Air Pollution Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Can Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, State Environmental Protection Center for Coal-Fired Air Pollution Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
- Jiaxing Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Jaixing, 314000, China
| | - Haidong Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, State Environmental Protection Center for Coal-Fired Air Pollution Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Lianming Li
- Jiaxing Xinjia'aisi Thermal Power Co., Ltd, Jiaxing, 314000, China
| | - Chenghang Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, State Environmental Protection Center for Coal-Fired Air Pollution Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China.
- Jiaxing Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Jaixing, 314000, China.
| | - Xiang Gao
- State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization, State Environmental Protection Center for Coal-Fired Air Pollution Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
- Jiaxing Research Institute, Zhejiang University, Jaixing, 314000, China
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Zhao Z, Fan H, Li Q, Liu C, Chen Z, Li L, Zheng C, Gao X. Hybrid Modelling and Operating Optimization Method of Oxidation Process of Wet Flue Gas Desulfurization (WFGD) System. Chem Eng Res Des 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cherd.2022.09.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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6
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Zhao Z, Zhang Y, Shao Y, Liu C, Li W, Fan H, Dai H, Yang Y, Zheng C, Gao X. Simulation of SO2 removal process from marine exhaust gas by hybrid exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS) using seawater and magnesium-based absorbent. Sep Purif Technol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2022.120557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Harkey M, Holloway T, Kim EJ, Baker KR, Henderson B. Satellite Formaldehyde to Support Model Evaluation. JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH. ATMOSPHERES : JGR 2021; 126:10.1029/2020jd032881. [PMID: 34381662 PMCID: PMC8353957 DOI: 10.1029/2020jd032881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Formaldehyde (HCHO), a known carcinogen classified as a hazardous pollutant by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), is measured through monitoring networks across the U.S. Since these data are limited in spatial and temporal extent, model simulations from the U.S. EPA Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model are used to estimate ambient HCHO exposure for the EPA National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA). Here, we employ satellite HCHO retrievals from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI)-the NASA retrieval developed by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO), and the European Union Quality Assurance for Essential Climate Variables (QA4ECV) retrieval-to evaluate three CMAQ configurations, spanning the summers of 2011 and 2016, with differing biogenic emissions inputs and chemical mechanisms. These CMAQ configurations capture the general spatial and temporal behavior of both satellite retrievals, but underestimate column HCHO, particularly in the western U.S. In the southeastern U.S., the comparison with OMI HCHO highlights differences in modeled meteorology and biogenic emissions even with differences in satellite retrievals. All CMAQ configurations show low daily correlations with OMI HCHO (r = 0.26 - 0.38), however, we find higher monthly correlations (r = 0.52 - 0.73), and the models correlate best with the OMI-QA4ECV product. Compared to surface observations, we find improved agreement over a 24-hour period compared to afternoon-only, suggesting daily HCHO amounts are captured with more accuracy than afternoon amounts. This work highlights the potential for synergistic improvements in modeling and satellite retrievals to support near-surface HCHO estimates for the NATA and other applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Harkey
- Nelson Institute Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE), University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1710 University Ave, Madison WI 53726
| | - Tracey Holloway
- Nelson Institute Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE), University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1710 University Ave, Madison WI 53726
- Department of Atmospheric & Oceanic Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1225 W Dayton Street, Madison, WI 53706
| | - Eliot J. Kim
- Nelson Institute Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment (SAGE), University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1710 University Ave, Madison WI 53726
| | - Kirk R. Baker
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
| | - Barron Henderson
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA
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8
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Gallagher CL, Holloway T. Integrating Air Quality and Public Health Benefits in U.S. Decarbonization Strategies. Front Public Health 2020; 8:563358. [PMID: 33330312 PMCID: PMC7717953 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.563358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Research on air quality and human health “co-benefits” from climate mitigation strategies represents a growing area of policy-relevant scholarship. Compared to other aspects of climate and energy policy evaluation, however, there are still relatively few of these co-benefits analyses. This sparsity reflects a historical disconnect between research quantifying energy and climate, and research dealing with air quality and health. The air quality co-benefits of climate, clean energy, and transportation electrification policies are typically assessed with models spanning social, physical, chemical, and biological systems. This review article summarizes studies to date and presents methods used for these interdisciplinary analyses. Studies in the peer-reviewed literature (n = 26) have evaluated carbon pricing, renewable portfolio standards, energy efficiency, renewable energy deployment, and clean transportation. A number of major findings have emerged from these studies: [1] decarbonization strategies can reduce air pollution disproportionally on the most polluted days; [2] renewable energy deployment and climate policies offer the highest health and economic benefits in regions with greater reliance on coal generation; [3] monetized air quality health co-benefits can offset costs of climate policy implementation; [4] monetized co-benefits typically exceed the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of renewable energies; [5] Electric vehicle (EV) adoption generally improves air quality on peak pollution days, but can result in ozone dis-benefits in urban centers due to the titration of ozone with nitrogen oxides. Drawing from these published studies, we review the state of knowledge on climate co-benefits to air quality and health, identifying opportunities for policy action and further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ciaran L Gallagher
- Nelson Institute Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Tracey Holloway
- Nelson Institute Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States.,Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
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Bachmann TM. Considering environmental costs of greenhouse gas emissions for setting a CO 2 tax: A review. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 720:137524. [PMID: 32146394 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2019] [Revised: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Till M Bachmann
- European Institute for Energy Research (EIFER) EDF-KIT EWIV, Emmy-Noether Str. 11 76131, Karlsruhe, Germany.
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Zhao J, Feng K, Liu SH, Lin CW, Zhang S, Li S, Li W, Chen J. Kinetics of biocathodic electron transfer in a bioelectrochemical system coupled with chemical absorption for NO removal. CHEMOSPHERE 2020; 249:126095. [PMID: 32044608 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.126095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2019] [Revised: 01/09/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
A microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) has been developing for enhanced absorbent regeneration in a chemical absorption-biological reduction integrated process for NO removal. In this work, the kinetics of electron transfer involved in the biocathodes along Fe(III)EDTA and Fe(II)EDTA-NO reduction was analyzed simultaneously. A modified Nernst-Monod kinetics considering the Faraday efficiency was applied to describe the electron transfer kinetics of Fe(III)EDTA reduction. The effects of substrate concentration, biocathodic potential on current density predicted by the model have been validated by the experimental results. Furthermore, extended from the kinetics of Fe(III)EDTA reduction, the electron transfer kinetics of Fe(II)EDTA-NO reduction was developed with a semi-experimental method, while both direct electrochemical and bioelectrochemical processes were taken into consideration at the same time. It was revealed that the developed model could simulate the electron transfer kinetics well. This work could not only help advance the biocathodic reduction ability and the utilization efficiency of electric power, but also provide insights into the industrial scale-up and application of the system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingkai Zhao
- College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, China; Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Industrial Ecology and Environment, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Yuquan Campus, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Ke Feng
- College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, China
| | - Shu-Hui Liu
- Department of Safety, Health and Environmental Engineering, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, 123 University Rd., Sec. 3, Douliu, Yunlin, 64002, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Wen Lin
- Department of Safety, Health and Environmental Engineering, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, 123 University Rd., Sec. 3, Douliu, Yunlin, 64002, Taiwan
| | - Shihan Zhang
- College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, China
| | - Sujing Li
- Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Industrial Ecology and Environment, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Yuquan Campus, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Wei Li
- Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering of Ministry of Education, Institute of Industrial Ecology and Environment, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Yuquan Campus, Hangzhou, 310027, China.
| | - Jianmeng Chen
- College of Environment, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, China.
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Qu Z, Wang X, Li F, Li Y, Chen X, Chen M. PM 2.5-Related Health Economic Benefits Evaluation Based on Air Improvement Action Plan in Wuhan City, Middle China. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17020620. [PMID: 31963670 PMCID: PMC7013862 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17020620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Revised: 01/08/2020] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
On the basis of PM2.5 data of the national air quality monitoring sites, local population data, and baseline all-cause mortality rate, PM2.5-related health economic benefits of the Air Improvement Action Plan implemented in Wuhan in 2013–2017 were investigated using health-impact and valuation functions. Annual avoided premature deaths driven by the average concentration of PM2.5 decrease were evaluated, and the economic benefits were computed by using the value of statistical life (VSL) method. Results showed that the number of avoided premature deaths in Wuhan are 21,384 (95% confidence interval (CI): 15,004 to 27,255) during 2013–2017, due to the implementation of the Air Improvement Action Plan. According to the VSL method, the obtained economic benefits of Huangpi, Wuchang, Hongshan, Xinzhou, Jiang’an, Hanyang, Jiangxia, Qiaokou, Jianghan, Qingshan, Caidian, Dongxihu, and Hannan District were 8.55, 8.19, 8.04, 7.39, 5.78, 4.84, 4.37, 4.04, 3.90, 3.30, 2.87, 2.42, and 0.66 billion RMB (1 RMB = 0.1417 USD On 14 October 2019), respectively. These economic benefits added up to 64.35 billion RMB (95% CI: 45.15 to 82.02 billion RMB), accounting for 4.80% (95% CI: 3.37% to 6.12%) of the total GDP of Wuhan in 2017. Therefore, in the process of formulating a regional air quality improvement scheme, apart from establishing hierarchical emission-reduction standards and policies, policy makers should give integrated consideration to the relationship between regional economic development, environmental protection and residents’ health benefits. Furthermore, for improving air quality, air quality compensation mechanisms can be established on the basis of the status quo and trends of air quality, population distribution, and economic development factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiguang Qu
- Research Center for Environment and Health, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China; (Z.Q.); (X.W.); (Y.L.); (X.C.)
- School of Information and Safety Engineering, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China
| | - Xiaoying Wang
- Research Center for Environment and Health, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China; (Z.Q.); (X.W.); (Y.L.); (X.C.)
- School of Information and Safety Engineering, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China
| | - Fei Li
- Research Center for Environment and Health, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China; (Z.Q.); (X.W.); (Y.L.); (X.C.)
- School of Information and Safety Engineering, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China
- Key Laboratory of Virtual Geographic Environment (Ministry of Education), Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
- Correspondence: (F.L.); (M.C.)
| | - Yanan Li
- Research Center for Environment and Health, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China; (Z.Q.); (X.W.); (Y.L.); (X.C.)
- School of Information and Safety Engineering, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China
| | - Xiyao Chen
- Research Center for Environment and Health, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China; (Z.Q.); (X.W.); (Y.L.); (X.C.)
- School of Information and Safety Engineering, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China
| | - Min Chen
- Key Laboratory of Virtual Geographic Environment (Ministry of Education), Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
- Correspondence: (F.L.); (M.C.)
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