IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v10y2018i10p3568-d173957.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Assessing the Economic and Environmental Sustainability of a Regional Air Quality Plan

Author

Listed:
  • Claudio Carnevale

    (DIMI, University of Brescia, 25121 Brescia, Italy)

  • Fabrizio Ferrari

    (Terraria Srl, 20125 Milan, Italy)

  • Giorgio Guariso

    (DEIB, Politecnico di Milano, 20133 Milan, Italy)

  • Giuseppe Maffeis

    (Terraria Srl, 20125 Milan, Italy)

  • Enrico Turrini

    (DIMI, University of Brescia, 25121 Brescia, Italy)

  • Marialuisa Volta

    (DIMI, University of Brescia, 25121 Brescia, Italy)

Abstract

Air quality plans must be demonstrated to be economically sustainable and environmentally effective. This paper presents a full cost–benefit and environmental analysis of a large regional air quality plan involving several different actions covering a large spectrum of fields, from domestic heating to passenger and freight transport, from electricity generation to agriculture. The impact of each action is analyzed looking at the possible energy savings, greenhouse gases (GHG) emission reductions, the improvement in air quality, and the consequent decrease in external costs, namely the reduced impact on population health. The analysis is performed by applying a flexible and fast computer tool (RIAT+) that allows for a rapid simulation of different pollutant emission scenario, to assess different air quality indices (AQIs) over a regional scale domain. The results show that, in most cases, the economic savings exceed the implementation costs and thus that these actions can be introduced in air quality plans for the domain under study. The reduced health and climate costs, though relevant in absolute terms, are, in general, only a fraction of the economic benefits of energy savings. This is not true for the measures acting on improvements in electricity generation, since a reduction in power plant emissions (generally with high stacks, far from populated areas) does not significantly impact the air quality inside the region. A shift in energy production to renewable sources can instead provide noticeable effects on GHG emissions. This research raises some interesting and general questions about the adequacy of the methodologies applied to attribute costs (and benefits) to actions, improving a variety of sectors that are different from the one in which the measures are applied here.

Suggested Citation

  • Claudio Carnevale & Fabrizio Ferrari & Giorgio Guariso & Giuseppe Maffeis & Enrico Turrini & Marialuisa Volta, 2018. "Assessing the Economic and Environmental Sustainability of a Regional Air Quality Plan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-19, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:10:p:3568-:d:173957
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/10/3568/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/10/3568/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ari Rabl & Mike Holland, 2008. "Environmental Assessment Framework for Policy Applications: Life Cycle Assessment, External Costs and Multi-criteria Analysis," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 51(1), pages 81-105.
    2. Chae, Yeora & Park, Jeongim, 2011. "Quantifying costs and benefits of integrated environmental strategies of air quality management and greenhouse gas reduction in the Seoul Metropolitan Area," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(9), pages 5296-5308, September.
    3. Åström, Stefan & Yaramenka, Katarina & Mawdsley, Ingrid & Danielsson, Helena & Grennfelt, Peringe & Gerner, Annika & Ekvall, Tomas & Ahlgren, Erik O., 2017. "The impact of Swedish SO2 policy instruments on SO2 emissions 1990–2012," Environmental Science & Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 32-39.
    4. Miranda, A.I. & Relvas, H. & Viaene, P. & Janssen, S. & Brasseur, O. & Carnevale, C. & Declerck, P. & Maffeis, G. & Turrini, E. & Volta, M., 2016. "Applying integrated assessment methodologies to air quality plans: Two European cases," Environmental Science & Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 29-38.
    5. Qingyong Wang & Hong-Ning Dai & Hao Wang, 2017. "A Smart MCDM Framework to Evaluate the Impact of Air Pollution on City Sustainability: A Case Study from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-17, May.
    6. Thunis, P. & Miranda, A. & Baldasano, J.M. & Blond, N. & Douros, J. & Graff, A. & Janssen, S. & Juda-Rezler, K. & Karvosenoja, N. & Maffeis, G. & Martilli, A. & Rasoloharimahefa, M. & Real, E. & Viaen, 2016. "Overview of current regional and local scale air quality modelling practices: Assessment and planning tools in the EU," Environmental Science & Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 13-21.
    7. Na Yang & Zilong Zhang & Bing Xue & Junxia Ma & Xingpeng Chen & Chenyu Lu, 2018. "Economic Growth and Pollution Emission in China: Structural Path Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-15, July.
    8. Shushu Li & Yong Ma, 2014. "Urbanization, Economic Development and Environmental Change," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(8), pages 1-19, August.
    9. Viaene, P. & Belis, C.A. & Blond, N. & Bouland, C. & Juda-Rezler, K. & Karvosenoja, N. & Martilli, A. & Miranda, A. & Pisoni, E. & Volta, M., 2016. "Air quality integrated assessment modelling in the context of EU policy: A way forward," Environmental Science & Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 22-28.
    10. Guariso, G. & Maione, M. & Volta, M., 2016. "A decision framework for Integrated Assessment Modelling of air quality at regional and local scale," Environmental Science & Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 3-12.
    11. Carnevale, Claudio & Pisoni, Enrico & Volta, Marialuisa, 2007. "Selecting effective ozone exposure control policies solving a two-objective problem," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 204(1), pages 93-103.
    12. Erica Gies, 2017. "The real cost of energy," Nature, Nature, vol. 551(7682), pages 145-147, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Guariso, Giorgio & Sangiorgio, Matteo, 2019. "Multi-objective planning of building stock renovation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 101-110.
    2. Muhammad Ghulam Shabeer & Farhat Rasul, 2024. "Energy, Forests and Environmental Sustainability: A Comparative Analysis of Developed and Developing Economies," Journal of Economic Impact, Science Impact Publishers, vol. 6(1), pages 14-20.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Peter Rafaj & Markus Amann, 2018. "Decomposing Air Pollutant Emissions in Asia: Determinants and Projections," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-14, May.
    2. Guariso, Giorgio & Sangiorgio, Matteo, 2019. "Multi-objective planning of building stock renovation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 101-110.
    3. Asim Anwar & Muhammad Ayub & Noman Khan & Antoine Flahault, 2019. "Nexus between Air Pollution and Neonatal Deaths: A Case of Asian Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(21), pages 1-10, October.
    4. Brand, Christian, 2016. "Beyond ‘Dieselgate’: Implications of unaccounted and future air pollutant emissions and energy use for cars in the United Kingdom," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 1-12.
    5. Wu Dan & Xie Xuxuan, 2013. "Economic Analysis of Multi-pollutant Control in Coal-Fired Electricity Plants in China," EEPSEA Research Report rr2013022, Economy and Environment Program for Southeast Asia (EEPSEA), revised Feb 2013.
    6. Po Kou & Ying Han & Xiaoyuan Qi & Yuanxian Li, 2022. "Does China's policy of carbon emission trading deliver sulfur dioxide reduction co-benefits?," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(5), pages 6224-6245, May.
    7. Polina Ustyuzhanina, 2022. "Decomposition of air pollution emissions from Swedish manufacturing," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 24(2), pages 195-223, April.
    8. Bachmann, Till M. & van der Kamp, Jonathan, 2014. "Environmental cost-benefit analysis and the EU (European Union) Industrial Emissions Directive: Exploring the societal efficiency of a DeNOx retrofit at a coal-fired power plant," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 125-139.
    9. Rongrong Xu & Yongxiang Wu & Gaoxu Wang & Xuan Zhang & Wei Wu & Zan Xu, 2019. "Evaluation of industrial water use efficiency considering pollutant discharge in China," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(8), pages 1-22, August.
    10. Carnevale, Claudio & Finzi, Giovanna & Pisoni, Enrico & Volta, Marialuisa, 2008. "Modelling assessment of PM10 exposure control policies in Northern Italy," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 217(3), pages 219-229.
    11. Cinzia Colapinto & Raja Jayaraman & Fouad Ben Abdelaziz & Davide La Torre, 2020. "Environmental sustainability and multifaceted development: multi-criteria decision models with applications," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 293(2), pages 405-432, October.
    12. Katrin Millock & Cees Withagen, 2021. "Climate and Migration," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Anil Markandya & Dirk Rübbelke (ed.), CLIMATE AND DEVELOPMENT, chapter 10, pages 309-341, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    13. Yifei Zhang & Sheng Li & Fang Zhang, 2020. "Does an Emissions Trading Policy Improve Environmental Efficiency? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-16, March.
    14. Takeshita, Takayuki, 2012. "Assessing the co-benefits of CO2 mitigation on air pollutants emissions from road vehicles," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 225-237.
    15. Zhang, Linyun & Huang, Feiming & Lu, Lu & Ni, Xinwen, 2021. "Green financial development improving energy efficiency and economic growth: A study of CPEC area in COVID-19 era," IRTG 1792 Discussion Papers 2021-017, Humboldt University of Berlin, International Research Training Group 1792 "High Dimensional Nonstationary Time Series".
    16. Yu-Ling Chen & Yi-Hsuan Shih & Chao-Heng Tseng & Sy-Yuan Kang & Huang-Chin Wang, 2013. "Economic and health benefits of the co-reduction of air pollutants and greenhouse gases," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 18(8), pages 1125-1139, December.
    17. Tang Yao & Yigang Wei & Jianhong Zhang & Yani Wang & Yunjiang Yu & Wenyang Huang, 2022. "What influences the urban sewage discharge in China? The effect of diversified factors on the urban sewage discharge in different regions of China," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(5), pages 6099-6135, May.
    18. Qigan Shao & Sung-Shun Weng & James J.H. Liou & Huai-Wei Lo & Hongbo Jiang, 2019. "Developing A Sustainable Urban-Environmental Quality Evaluation System in China Based on A Hybrid Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-25, April.
    19. Dimitrijević, Zinaida & Tatić, Kasim, 2012. "The economically acceptable scenarios for investments in desulphurization and denitrification on existing coal-fired units in Bosnia and Herzegovina," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 597-607.
    20. Joanna Hałacz & Aldona Skotnicka-Siepsiak & Maciej Neugebauer, 2020. "Assessment of Reducing Pollutant Emissions in Selected Heating and Ventilation Systems in Single-Family Houses," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-19, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:10:p:3568-:d:173957. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.