Health and economic benefits of clean air policies in China: A case study for Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region

Abstract

Exposure to PM2.5 is associated with many adverse health effects, leading to additional social costs. The Blue Sky Protection Campaign (BSPC) has been implemented in 2018 in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) area to control air pollution. This study assesses PM2.5-related health and economic benefits of the BSPC in the BTH region. Results show that by 2020, PM2.5 reduction can avoid 3561 thousand morbidity cases (equivalent to a 24% reduction in the 2020 baseline scenario) and 24 thousand premature deaths (12%) in the BTH region, with the majority benefit in Hebei. By 2030, the avoided morbidity and mortality cases will be 2943 (18%) thousand and 20 (9%) thousand, respectively. PM2.5 reductions are highly effective in reducing work time loss, which will decrease the total annual work time by 1.7 × 108 h (24%) in the BTH region by 2020. From the economic aspect, the reduced PM2.5 concentration will save 30 million USD (25%) health expenditures and avoid 60 billion USD (13%) economic loss by using the value of statistical life (VSL) by 2020. In 2030, the health expenditures and economic loss will also decrease significantly, with 17 million USD (18%) and 63 billion USD (10%), respectively, in the BTH region. Besides, the economic benefits far exceed the policy costs of the BSPC, and the Δ benefit/Δ cost ratios of Beijing are significantly higher than those of Hebei. The BSPC in BTH has significant positive health and economic impacts. This study can provide a basis for future PM2.5-related health risk studies at an urban level in China.