Regions with the highest health benefits from reducing PM2.5 emissions
Regions with the highest health benefits from reducing PM2.5 emissions are identified both within the United States and internationally based on recent studies and reports.
In the United States
- Midwest Region: The Midwest experiences the greatest per capita health benefits from reductions in PM2.5 emissions, with significant decreases in premature deaths linked to reduced secondary PM2.5 formed from fossil fuel combustion pollutants.
- Other High-Benefit Regions: In addition to the Midwest, several other U.S. regions receive disproportionately high health benefits, including the South Central, Southeast, and Mountain regions, with estimated benefits 25%–50% higher than the national average from nationwide emission reductions.
- Nationwide Impact: Nearly every county in the U.S. sees reductions in PM2.5-related premature deaths exceeding 5%, indicating broad-based benefits across the country.
International Examples
- Wuhan, China: The Wuchang District in Wuhan showed the highest health economic benefits in a study due to a large population and a significant decline in PM2.5 levels after air quality improvement plans. The reduction in PM2.5 avoided over 21,000 premature deaths during 2013–2017, demonstrating substantial localized health benefits from emissions control.
- China-wide: China’s air quality measures prevented approximately 60,000 premature deaths, translating into massive economic and public health benefits.
Summary
- The Midwest U.S. stands out as the region with the highest per capita health benefits from PM2.5 reduction.
- The South Central, Southeast, and Mountain regions also receive notably elevated benefits compared to other areas in the U.S.
- Areas with high population density and significant PM2.5 decreases, such as Wuhan in China, experience the greatest absolute health gains.
- Overall, reducing PM2.5 yields substantial health benefits nationwide and globally, particularly in regions with high fossil fuel emissions and dense populations.
These findings highlight that efforts to reduce PM2.5 emissions bring the most pronounced health improvements in industrial and population-dense regions across the U.S. and China.
Original article by NenPower, If reposted, please credit the source: https://nenpower.com/blog/which-regions-have-the-highest-health-benefits-from-reducing-pm2-5-emissions/
