Mailloux Nicholas A, Abel David W, Holloway Tracey, Patz Jonathan A
Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison WI USA.
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison WI USA.
Geohealth. 2022 May 16;6(5):e2022GH000603. doi: 10.1029/2022GH000603. eCollection 2022 May.
Clean energy policy can provide substantial health benefits through improved air quality. As ambitious clean energy proposals are increasingly considered and adopted across the United States (US), quantifying the benefits of removal of such large air pollution emissions sources is crucial to understanding potential societal impacts of such policy. In this study, we estimate health benefits resulting from the elimination of emissions of fine particulate matter (PM), sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides from the electric power, transportation, building, and industrial sectors in the contiguous US. We use EPA's CO-Benefits Risk Assessment screening tool to estimate health benefits resulting from the removal of PM-related emissions from these energy-related sectors. We find that nationwide efforts to eliminate energy-related emissions could prevent 53,200 (95% CI: 46,900-59,400) premature deaths each year and provide $608 billion ($537-$678 billion) in benefits from avoided PM-related illness and death. We also find that an average of 69% (range: 32%-95%) of the health benefits from emissions removal remain in the emitting region. Our study provides an indication of the potential scale and distribution of public health benefits that could result from ambitious regional and nationwide clean energy and climate mitigation policy.
清洁能源政策可通过改善空气质量带来显著的健康效益。随着美国各地越来越多地考虑并采纳雄心勃勃的清洁能源提案，量化消除如此大规模空气污染排放源的效益对于理解此类政策的潜在社会影响至关重要。在本研究中，我们估算了美国本土电力、交通、建筑和工业部门消除细颗粒物（PM）、二氧化硫和氮氧化物排放所带来的健康效益。我们使用美国环境保护局（EPA）的协同效益风险评估筛选工具来估算消除这些与能源相关部门的PM相关排放所带来的健康效益。我们发现，全国范围内消除与能源相关排放的努力每年可预防53,200例（95%置信区间：46,900 - 59,400）过早死亡，并因避免与PM相关的疾病和死亡而带来6080亿美元（5370亿 - 6780亿美元）的效益。我们还发现，消除排放带来的健康效益平均有69%（范围：32% - 95%）留在排放地区。我们的研究表明了雄心勃勃的区域和全国性清洁能源及气候缓解政策可能带来的公共健康效益的潜在规模和分布情况。
