The health and economic impacts of emergency measures to combat heavy air pollution

Abstract

Emergency measures are effective measures that can be quickly taken in response to heavy air pollution. They not only have an obvious impact on slowing down the accumulation of particulate matter but also have a significant impact on public health and socio-economic development. Therefore, to analyze the effectiveness of emergency measures, one must assess their environmental, health and economic impacts. In this paper, we use exposure-response functions and a city-level computable general equilibrium (CGE) model to do so for China's Jing-Jin-Ji region. We find that the emergency measures implemented in 2019 significantly improve the region's air quality and enhance public health by reducing risk associated with acute bronchitis. Moreover, those emergency measures notably benefit the Jing-Jin-Ji region economically by expanding labor supply, most notably in Beijing and Tianjin. It seems Beijing and Tianjin should compensate industrial cities in Hebei, which enabled the Jing-Jin-Ji region's better air quality but encountered far fewer economic benefits. Handan, Baoding, and Cangzhou are among the cities in Hebei that are expanding employment in manufacturing and service sectors. These results can provide scientific guidance and policy suggestions for government while using emergency measures to combat regional heavy air pollution considering its health and economic benefits.