Impacts of sectoral emissions in China and the implications: air quality, public health, crop production, and economic costs

Y Gu,S H L Yim,G H Dong,K F Ho,C K Law,Y Yang,T W Wong

doi:10.1088/1748-9326/aad138

Abstract

China has experienced considerable economic losses from a severe deterioration in air quality. To solve this, a comprehensive understanding of the impacts and sources of air pollution is necessary. This study aimed to quantify the environmental and human health impacts of PM2.5 and O3 pollution from the six major emission-producing sectors in China. We utilized a chemical transport model to simulate the air quality impacts engendered by sectoral emissions. The consequent impacts on public health and crop production, as well as the corresponding collateral economic costs, were quantified by concentration-response functions. The results show that the sectoral emissions in 2010 caused approximately 1 143 000 (95% confidence interval (CI): 168 000–1 796 000) premature mortalities and a 20 035 (95% CI: 6776–32 166) Gg crop production loss. Of the six sectors, the industrial sector was the largest contributor of air pollution, accounting for 36% of the total impact on health, as well as 41% of crop production loss due to O3 exposure. The impacts attributable to sectoral emissions in China were estimated to cost ∼267 (95% CI: 180–360) billion yuan (0.66% of the annual GDP). Our findings suggest an urgent need to reduce anthropogenic emissions in China, particularly those of the industrial sector. The varying characteristics of impact due to emissions of various sectors highlight the importance of evaluating cobenefits when formulating emission control policies.

Highlights

Numerous studies have shown the adverse environmental and public health impacts associated with the exposure of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and tropospheric ozone (O3) pollution in China (Zhang et al 2017, Apte et al 2015, Kan et al 2012)
The second contributor was the residential and commercial sector, accounting for 24.9% of annual surface PM2.5 in China. Such impact dominantly came from the space heating and in-house cooking, which were impacted in the winter season
Our results show that the industrial sector and the residential and commercial sector were identified as major contributors to total health impacts, accounting for 36.2% (∼414 000) and 20.0% (∼229 000) of the total values, respectively

Summary

Introduction

Numerous studies have shown the adverse environmental and public health impacts associated with the exposure of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and tropospheric ozone (O3) pollution in China (Zhang et al 2017, Apte et al 2015, Kan et al 2012). A number of studies have investigated the health impacts of the respective emissions-producing sectors in China (Yamaji et al 2010, Wang et al 2008, 2009, Lei et al 2011, Hao et al 2007, Pozzer et al 2017), as well as potential emission control strategies (Fujii et al 2013, Peng et al 2017b, Ji et al 2012, Zhang et al 2013). Liu et al (2016) investigated the impacts of household emissions on air quality in the winter (January and Feburary) of 2010. They reported that residential emissions were a major source of pollution in Beijing, Tianjin, and the Hebei region during the study period. Pozzer et al (2017) estimated that outdoor air pollution caused approximately 1.3 million premature mortalities in China, of which an estimated 300 000 were due to emissions from the agriculture sector

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