New publication from Adams, Muller, Robinson, and Sergi

The power sector is decarbonizing, but where it decarbonizes first can dramatically affect the air quality benefits that accompany CO2 reductions. In their recently published paper, Optimizing Emissions Reductions from the U.S. Power Sector for Climate and Health Benefits, EPP alum Brian Sergi, along with EPP professors Peter Adams, Nick Muller, Allen Robinson, and former EPP professor Inês Azevedo, find that climate policy that incorporates health objectives can result in substantial additional benefits by prioritizing emissions reductions in places where health damages are greatest.

More than a third of annual global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions come from electric power generation, making it a focus of efforts to mitigate climate change. At the same time, electricity generated from fossil fuels emits co-pollutants such as sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) that degrade air quality. Long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) produced from SO2 and NOx emissions is strongly linked to premature death and other adverse health consequences, and the social costs of the health effects attributable to U.S. power sector emissions are estimated at $60−130 billion annually.

By using a capacity expansion model with integrated assessment of climate and health damages, they then compared portfolios optimized for benefits to climate alone or both health and climate. The model estimates county-level health damages and accounts for uncertainty by using a range of air quality models and concentration−response functions.

They found that reducing CO2 by 30% yields $21−68 billion in annual health benefits, with an additional $9−36 billion possible when co-optimizing for climate and health benefits. Additional benefits accrue from prioritizing emissions reductions in counties with high population exposure. The results demonstrate the value of considering health in climate policy design and the need for interstate cooperation to achieve additional health benefits equitably.