IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/climat/v178y2025i2d10.1007_s10584-024-03851-x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Regional inequalities in air quality and health co-benefits due to climate change mitigation in the European electricity sector

Author

Listed:
  • Hannah Pehle

    (University of Geneva)

  • Jan-Philipp Sasse

    (University of Geneva)

  • Evelina Trutnevyte

    (University of Geneva)

Abstract

Electricity supply transition to reach carbon neutrality in Europe is expected to bring air quality and health co-benefits, but their regional distribution has not been investigated in detail. This study quantifies these co-benefits for 250 European electricity scenarios in 2035 across 296 sub-national regions. The study links a spatially-explicit electricity sector model with an air quality and health impact model and then accounts for susceptibility and vulnerability of populations to adverse health effects. In case of low-carbon transition, direct PM2.5 concentrations attributable to European electricity generation in 2035 could be reduced by 45–99% compared to a system with the generation capacities of 2018. Depending on the system’s make-up, health co-benefits can vary significantly, as does their regional distribution. Focus on the minimum system costs leads to 15 times higher continent-wide excess deaths and to higher regional inequality than the scenario with minimum air pollutant emissions, which would almost entirely eliminate PM2.5-related mortality attributable to electricity generation. The most vulnerable regions (Balkans, Northern Germany, Southeast France, and the West Midlands in England) would benefit from higher air quality co-benefits than the continental average.

Suggested Citation

  • Hannah Pehle & Jan-Philipp Sasse & Evelina Trutnevyte, 2025. "Regional inequalities in air quality and health co-benefits due to climate change mitigation in the European electricity sector," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 178(2), pages 1-22, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:178:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s10584-024-03851-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s10584-024-03851-x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10584-024-03851-x
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10584-024-03851-x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wiser, Ryan & Millstein, Dev & Mai, Trieu & Macknick, Jordan & Carpenter, Alberta & Cohen, Stuart & Cole, Wesley & Frew, Bethany & Heath, Garvin, 2016. "The environmental and public health benefits of achieving high penetrations of solar energy in the United States," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 472-486.
    2. Mingwei Li & Da Zhang & Chiao-Ting Li & Kathleen M. Mulvaney & Noelle E. Selin & Valerie J. Karplus, 2018. "Air quality co-benefits of carbon pricing in China," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 8(5), pages 398-403, May.
    3. Paul Picciano & Minghao Qiu & Sebastian D. Eastham & Mei Yuan & John Reilly & Noelle E. Selin, 2023. "Air quality related equity implications of U.S. decarbonization policy," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
    4. Pietzcker, Robert C. & Osorio, Sebastian & Rodrigues, Renato, 2021. "Tightening EU ETS targets in line with the European Green Deal: Impacts on the decarbonization of the EU power sector," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 293(C).
    5. Ganlin Huang & Jonathan K. London, 2012. "Cumulative Environmental Vulnerability and Environmental Justice in California’s San Joaquin Valley," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-16, May.
    6. DeCarolis, Joseph F., 2011. "Using modeling to generate alternatives (MGA) to expand our thinking on energy futures," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 145-152, March.
    7. Trutnevyte, Evelina, 2013. "EXPANSE methodology for evaluating the economic potential of renewable energy from an energy mix perspective," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 593-601.
    8. Pietzcker, Robert & Osorio, Sebastian & Rodrigues, Renato, 2021. "Tightening EU ETS targets in line with the European Green Deal: Impacts on the decarbonization of the EU power sector," EconStor Preprints 222579, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, revised 2021.
    9. Teagan Goforth & Destenie Nock, 2022. "Air pollution disparities and equality assessments of US national decarbonization strategies," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-14, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Finke, Jonas & Kachirayil, Febin & McKenna, Russell & Bertsch, Valentin, 2024. "Modelling to generate near-Pareto-optimal alternatives (MGPA) for the municipal energy transition," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 376(PA).
    2. Jan-Philipp Sasse & Evelina Trutnevyte, 2023. "A low-carbon electricity sector in Europe risks sustaining regional inequalities in benefits and vulnerabilities," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-15, December.
    3. Sasse, Jan-Philipp & Trutnevyte, Evelina, 2023. "Cost-effective options and regional interdependencies of reaching a low-carbon European electricity system in 2035," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 282(C).
    4. Finke, Jonas & Bertsch, Valentin, 2022. "Implementing a highly adaptable method for the multi-objective optimisation of energy systems," MPRA Paper 115504, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Finke, Jonas & Bertsch, Valentin, 2023. "Implementing a highly adaptable method for the multi-objective optimisation of energy systems," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 332(C).
    6. Zhong, Meirui & Zhang, Rui & Ren, Xiaohang, 2023. "The time-varying effects of liquidity and market efficiency of the European Union carbon market: Evidence from the TVP-SVAR-SV approach," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    7. Tan, Xiujie & Sun, Qian & Wang, Meiji & Se Cheong, Tsun & Yan Shum, Wai & Huang, Jinpeng, 2022. "Assessing the effects of emissions trading systems on energy consumption and energy mix," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 310(C).
    8. Martina Ricci & Marcello Benvenuto & Stefano Gino Mosele & Roberto Pacciani & Michele Marconcini, 2022. "Predicting the Impact of Compressor Flexibility Improvements on Heavy-Duty Gas Turbines for Minimum and Base Load Conditions," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-14, October.
    9. Hänsel, Martin C. & Franks, Max & Kalkuhl, Matthias & Edenhofer, Ottmar, 2022. "Optimal carbon taxation and horizontal equity: A welfare-theoretic approach with application to German household data," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    10. Pashchenko, Dmitry & Mustafin, Ravil & Karpilov, Igor, 2022. "Ammonia-fired chemically recuperated gas turbine: Thermodynamic analysis of cycle and recuperation system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 252(C).
    11. Mariusz Pyra, 2023. "Simulation of the Progress of the Decarbonization Process in Poland’s Road Transport Sector," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-21, June.
    12. Luo, Shihua & Hu, Weihao & Liu, Wen & Zhang, Zhenyuan & Bai, Chunguang & Huang, Qi & Chen, Zhe, 2022. "Study on the decarbonization in China's power sector under the background of carbon neutrality by 2060," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    13. Che, Shuai & Wang, Jun & Chen, Honghang, 2023. "Can China's decentralized energy governance reduce carbon emissions? Evidence from new energy demonstration cities," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 284(C).
    14. Yunqing Zhao & Debao Dai & Wei Shao & Liang Ye, 2024. "Can the Carbon Trading Policy Enhance Resource Allocation Efficiency?—An Analysis of the Synergistic Effect of Market Mechanism and Government Intervention," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(22), pages 1-24, November.
    15. Kamila Pronińska & Krzysztof Księżopolski, 2021. "Baltic Offshore Wind Energy Development—Poland’s Public Policy Tools Analysis and the Geostrategic Implications," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-17, August.
    16. Andrew Chapman & Hidemichi Fujii, 2022. "The Potential Role of Flying Vehicles in Progressing the Energy Transition," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-11, October.
    17. Piotr Raźniak & Sławomir Dorocki & Tomasz Rachwał & Anna Winiarczyk-Raźniak, 2021. "The Role of the Energy Sector in the Command and Control Function of Cities in Conditions of Sustainability Transitions," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-14, November.
    18. Gyula Nagy & Soma Ádám Heiner & Zoltán Kovács, 2025. "Exploring the Presence and Absence of Academic Discourse on Public Participation in the European Green Deal: A Central and Eastern European Perspective," Societies, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-24, February.
    19. Gabriel J. Felbermayr, 2021. "Steuerliche Aspekte der Klimapolitik: über Steuern, Zölle und Subventionen," Wirtschaftsdienst, Springer;ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 101(6), pages 428-431, June.
    20. Alexey Cherepovitsyn & Gennady Stroykov & Alexander Nevolin, 2023. "Efficiency of Low-Carbon Technologies Implementation at Non-Ferrous Metallurgy Enterprises under the Conditions of Carbon-Regulation Development in Russia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-22, December.

    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:spr:climat:v:178:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s10584-024-03851-x. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.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.