Air Quality and Health Cobenefits of Different Deep Decarbonization Pathways in California
Year: 2019
Type: article
Abstract: As the world’s fifth-largest economy, California has committed to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. While previous studies have shown that GHG reductions could synergistically decrease air pollutant emissions and protect public health, limited research has been conducted to compare the health cobenefits of different technology pathways toward deep decarbonization. Using an integrated approach that combines energy and emission technology modeling, high-resolution chemical transport simulation, and health impact assessment, we find that achievement of the 80% GHG reduction target would bring substantial air quality and health cobenefits. The cobenefits, however, highly depend on the selected technology pathway largely because of California’s relatively clean energy structure. Compared with the business-as-usual levels, a decarbonization pathway that focuses on electrification and clean renewable energy is estimated to reduce concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) by 18–37% in major metropolitan areas of California and subsequently avoid about 12 100 (9600–14 600) premature deaths. In contrast, only a quarter of such health cobenefits, i.e., 2800 (2300–3400) avoided deaths, can be achieved through a pathway focusing more on combustible renewable fuels. After subtracting the cost, the net monetized benefit of the electrification-focused pathway still exceeds that of the renewable fuel-focused pathway, indicating that a cleaner but more expensive decarbonization pathway may be more preferable in California.
Language: English
Subfield: Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: DESPITE NUMEROUS STUDIES ABOUT THE IMPACT OF AEROSOLS ON ICE AND MIXED-PHASE CLOUDS THE ROLE OF ANTHROPOGENIC AEROSOLS IN ICE PROCESSES ESPECIALLY OVER POLLUTION REGIONS REMAINS UNCLEAR AND CONTROVERSIAL AND HAS NOT BEEN CONSIDERED IN REGIONAL MODELS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROPOSED STUDY IS TO IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF ICE PROCESSES ASSOCIATED WITH ANTHROPOGENIC AEROSOLS AND PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE CONTRIBUTION OF ANTHROPOGENIC AEROSOLS TO THE PROPERTIES OF ICE AND MIXED-PHASE CLOUDS AND THE CONSEQUENT PRECIPITATION THROUGH SATELLITE OBSERVATIONS. WE AIM TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING FUNDAMENTAL SCIENTIFIC QUESTIONS RELATED TO AEROSOL-CLOUD INTERACTIONS AND RAIN EFFICIENCY: (1) HOW DO THE MICRO- AND MACRO-PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF ICE AND MIXED-PHASE CLOUDS RESPOND TO ANTHROPOGENIC AEROSOL LOADINGS? (2) WHAT IS THE MAGNITUDE OF PRECIPITATION CHANGE RESULTED FROM THE INFLUENCE OF ANTHROPOGENIC AEROSOLS ON VARIOUS TYPES OF ICE AND MIXED-PHASE CLOUDS? THIS STUDY WILL TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE OF COLLOCATED MEASUREMENTS FROM MODIS CLOUDSAT CALIPSO AND OTHER A-TRAIN SATELLITES TO CHARACTERIZE THE INFLUENCE OF ANTHROPOGENIC AEROSOLS ON DIFFERENT TYPES OF CLOUDS AND TO QUANTIFY POTENTIAL IMPACTS ON PRECIPITATION. THE PROPOSED STUDY IS WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE SOLICITATION: SCIENCE DATA ANALYSIS TO ANSWER EARTH SCIENCE RESEARCH QUESTIONS. WE WILL USE THE CALIFORNIA AND EAST ASIA AS TESTBEDS. SPECIFICALLY WE WILL FOCUS ON THE FOLLOWING TWO ITEMS. FIRST WE WILL COLLECT COLLOCATED SATELLITE MEASUREMENTS OF AEROSOLS CLOUD MACRO- AND MICROPHYSICS PRECIPITATION AND METEOROLOGICAL PARAMETERS DETERMINED FROM MODIS CLOUDSAT CALIPSO AND TRMM. SECONDLY WE WILL PERFORM DATA ANALYSIS TO INVESTIGATE THE MANNER IN WHICH ANTHROPOGENIC AEROSOLS AFFECT THE MICROPHYSICAL AND MACRO-PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF DIFFERENT CLOUD TYPES AND THE ASSOCIATED PRECIPITATION AMOUNT AND FREQUENCY. FINALLY WE WISH TO NOTE THAT THE APPROACH OF USING SATELLITE DATA ANALYSIS PROPOSED HEREIN COULD BE APPLIED TO OTHER REGIONS AS WELL., G896741025
OpenAlex ID: W2946962416