Journal Article10.1097/00001648-200611001-00043
The Influence of Geographic Location on Population Exposure to Emissions From Power Plants Throughout China
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TL;DR: This analysis seeks to evaluate the influence of emission source location on population exposure in China to fine particles and sulfur dioxide, and finds that population terms can explain a substantial percentage of variability in the intake fraction for all pollutants.
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Abstract: This analysis seeks to evaluate the influence of emission source location on population exposure in China to fine particles and sulfur dioxide. We use the concept of intake fraction, defined as the fraction of material or its precursor released from a source that is eventually inhaled or ingested by a population. We select 29 power-plant sites throughout China and estimate annual average intake fractions at each site, using identical source characteristics to isolate the influence of geographic location. In addition, we develop regression models to interpret the intake fraction values and allow for extrapolation to other sites. To model the concentration increase due to emissions from selected power plants, we used a detailed long-range atmospheric dispersion model, CALPUFF. Primary fine particles have the highest average intake fraction (1 x 0(-5)), followed by sulfur dioxide (5 x 10(-6)), sulfate from sulfur dioxide (4 x 10(-6)), and nitrate from nitrogen oxides (4 x 10(-6)). For all pollutants, the intake fractions span approximately an order of magnitude across sites. In the regression analysis, the independent variables are meteorological proxies (such as climate region and precipitation) and population at various distances from the source. We find that population terms can explain a substantial percentage of variability in the intake fraction for all pollutants (R(2) between 0.86 and 0.95 across pollutants), with a significant modifying influence of meteorological regime. Near-source population is more important for primary coarse particles while population at medium to long distance is more important for primary fine particles and secondary particles. A significant portion of intake fraction (especially for secondary particles and primary fine particles) occurs beyond 500 km of the source, emphasizing the need for detailed long-range dispersion modeling. These findings demonstrate that intake fractions for power plants in China can be estimated with reasonable precision and summarized using simple regression models. The results should be useful for informing future decisions about power-plant locations and controls.
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References
Understanding China's Urban Pollution Dynamics
Siqi Zheng,Matthew E. Kahn +1 more
Abstract: †China’s ongoing urban economic growth has sharply increased the population’s per capita income, lowered the count of people living below the poverty line, and caused major environmental problems. We survey the growing literature investigating the causes and consequences of China’s urban pollution challenges. We begin by studying how urban population and industrial growth impacts local pollution levels and greenhouse gas production. As the urban population grows richer, its demand for private transportation and electricity sharply increases. Such privately beneficial activity exacerbates urban pollution externalities. Facing these severe environmental challenges, China’s urbanites increasingly demand quality of life progress. We survey the emerging literature investigating the demand for environmental progress in China. Progress in mitigating externalities hinges on whether the powerful central and local governments choose to address these issues. We analyze the political economy of whether government officials have strong incentives to tackle lingering urban externalities. We conclude by discussing future research opportunities at the intersection of environmental and urban economics. (JEL O18, P25, P28, Q53, R23, R41, R58)
329
Comparative environmental impacts of electric bikes in China
TL;DR: In this article, the authors quantified some of the environmental impacts of the production processes and use phase of electric two-wheelers and compared them to other competing modes, including bicycles, buses, motorcycles and cars.
•Posted Content
How Much Carbon Pricing is in Countries' Own Interests? The Critical Role of Co-Benefits
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors calculate how much pricing of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is in their own national interests due to domestic co-benefits(leaving aside the global climate benefits).
89
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TL;DR: The goal of this paper is to summarize the current knowledge and practice for assessing health effects from PM2.5 exposure and to provide recommendations for their consistent integration into LCIA, and to build a global guidance framework and to determine characterization factors that are more reliable for incorporating thehealth effects from exposure to PM 2.5.
The Health Effects of Coal Electricity Generation in India
TL;DR: In this article, the authors estimate health damages associated with particulate matter, sulfur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen oxides (NOx) from individual coal-fired power plants.
50