Improving Energetic Efficiency In Developing Economies: Opportunities To Reduce Global Health Disparities

Abstract

Introduction. Decarbonitization policies seem to have different size-effect on local health benefits, according to the development stage of the nation. High technological efficiency contributes to improvements in fossil fuel combustion process, reducing both greenhouse gas (GHG) and local pollutants emissions. The health gains are likely to benefit more people living in developing countries, where inefficient combustion technologies and bad air quality preponderate. Despite evaluations from the economic perspectives, no study has examined the role of technological inefficiency in global health inequality. In this study, we developed a global index to verify the magnitude of the technology inefficiency of energy production processes in the inequality burden of air pollution exposure. Methods. The index is the ratio of local air pollution level to GHG emissions by country: PM10/CO2. (Indicators: annual mean concentration of particulate matter of 10 μm or less in micrograms per cubic meter (PM10) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emission in metric tons per capita from manufacture of cement and burning of fossil fuel). We examined the Sperman correlations between the index and the development status of the country (indicators: Gross National Income per capita, Atlas method (GNI), Human Development Index (HDI)), and the life expectancy. We also addressed the index trends from 1991 to 2010. Data were collected from the World Bank and The United Nations Development Program. Results. The index correlated significantly (p=0.001) with life expectancy (r=-0. 738), GNI (r=-0.883), and HDI (r=-0.868). The index trends indicate that developing economies decrease the ratio more rapidly than developed ones, but they are still far from the international standards for local pollutants. Conclusions. The index underlines that, improving technological efficiency in developing economies may be in an instrument to reduce global health inequalities from air pollution exposure.