Work

The Effect of Diesel Vehicle Regulation on Air Quality in Seoul: Evidence from Seoul’s Low Emission Zone

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: This study investigates the effect of the low emission zone (LEZ), designed to restrict old diesel vehicles, on air quality in Seoul, Republic of Korea, using the regression discontinuity in time (RDiT) approach. While previous studies have examined LEZ impacts using traditional econometric models such as time series and panel data approaches, our research uniquely integrates high-frequency daily weather data to better control for confounding environmental variables and captures time-of-day effects on pollutant concentrations. Our findings reveal that the LEZ policy effectively reduced NO2 and SO2 concentrations by 4.7% and 11.6%, respectively. Notably, during daytime hours, when traffic is heaviest, NO2, SO2, and PM10 concentrations decreased by 7.1%, 14.8%, and 13.6%, respectively. These results suggest that the observed improvements can be attributed not only to reduced diesel vehicle registrations but also to significant declines in overall traffic volume.

Source: Sustainability

DOI: 10.3390/su16219573

Authors: Dongkyu Park, Nori Tarui

Institutions: Seoul National University, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Language: English

Topic: Vehicle emissions and performance

Subfield: Automotive Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Sustainable cities and communities, Climate action, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,728