Regional Policies Targeting Residential Solid Fuel and Agricultural Emissions Can Improve Air Quality and Public Health in the Greater Bay Area and Across China

• Published in: Geohealth Vol. 5; no. 4; pp. e2020GH000341 - n/a
• Main Authors: Conibear, Luke, Reddington, Carly L., Silver, Ben J., Knote, Christoph, Arnold, Stephen R., Spracklen, Dominick V.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.04.2021; John Wiley and Sons Inc; American Geophysical Union (AGU)
• Subjects: Aerosols; Aerosols and Particles; Agricultural policy; Agriculture; Air pollution; Air pollution measurements; Air quality; Airborne particulates; ambient air pollution; Atmospheric Composition and Structure; Biogeosciences; Carbon; Chemistry; China; Emission measurements; Emissions; Emissions control; Environmental policy; Environmental protection; Environmental risk; Exposure; Fertilizers; Geohealth; greater bay area; Health care; health impact assessment; Industrial emissions; Liquefied petroleum gas; Marine Pollution; Megacities and Urban Environment; Natural Hazards; Oceanography: Biological and Chemical; Oceanography: General; Outdoor air quality; Ozone; Paleoceanography; Particulate matter; policy scenario; Pollutants; Pollution: Urban and Regional; Pollution: Urban, Regional and Global; Public Health; Risk factors; Urban Systems; VOCs; Volatile organic compounds; Weather; Hong Kong China; China; Macao; particulate matter; policy scenario; greater bay area; health impact assessment; China; ambient air pollution
• ISSN: 2471-1403; 2471-1403
• DOI: 10.1029/2020GH000341

Air pollution exposure is a leading public health problem in China. The majority of the total air pollution disease burden is from fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure, with smaller contributions from ozone (O3) exposure. Recent emission reductions have reduced PM2.5 exposure. However, levels of exposure and the associated risk remain high, some pollutant emissions have increased, and some sectors lack effective emission control measures. We quantified the potential impacts of relevant policy scenarios on ambient air quality and public health across China. We show that PM2.5 exposure inside the Greater Bay Area (GBA) is strongly controlled by emissions outside the GBA. We find that reductions in residential solid fuel use and agricultural fertilizer emissions result in the greatest reductions in PM2.5 exposure and the largest health benefits. A 50% transition from residential solid fuel use to liquefied petroleum gas outside the GBA reduced PM2.5 exposure by 15% in China and 3% within the GBA, and avoided 191,400 premature deaths each year across China. Reducing agricultural fertilizer emissions of ammonia by 30% outside the GBA reduced PM2.5 exposure by 4% in China and 3% in the GBA, avoiding 56,500 annual premature deaths across China. Our simulations suggest that reducing residential solid fuel or industrial emissions will reduce both PM2.5 and O3 exposure, whereas other policies may increase O3 exposure. Improving particulate air quality inside the GBA will require consideration of residential solid fuel and agricultural sectors, which currently lack targeted policies, and regional cooperation both inside and outside the GBA. Key Points Ambient fine particulate matter exposure inside the Greater Bay Area is strongly controlled by emissions outside the Greater Bay Area Residential solid fuel and agricultural emissions lack effective controls that could improve air quality and public health across China Improving particulate air quality inside the Greater Bay Area will require regional cooperation inside and outside the Greater Bay Area