Direct and indirect consumption activities drive distinct urban-rural inequalities in air pollution-related mortality in China.
Sci Bull (Beijing)
; 69(4): 544-553, 2024 Feb 26.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38158290
ABSTRACT
Household consumption in China is associated with substantial PM2.5 pollution, through activities directly (i.e., fuel use) and/or indirectly (i.e., consumption of goods and services) causing pollutant emissions. Urban and rural households exhibit different consumption preferences and living areas, thus their contributions to and suffering from air pollution could differ. Assessing this contrast is crucial for comprehending the environmental impacts of the nation's ongoing urbanization process. Here we quantify Chinese urban and rural households' contributions to ambient PM2.5 pollution and the health risks they suffer from, by integrating economic, atmospheric, and health models and/or datasets. The national premature deaths related to long-term exposure to PM2.5 pollution contributed by total household consumption are estimated to be 1.1 million cases in 2015, among which 56% are urban households and 44% are rural households. For pollution contributed indirectly, urban households, especially in developed provinces, tend to bear lower mortality risks compared with the portions of deaths or pollution they contribute. The opposite results are true for direct pollution. With China's rapid urbanization process, without adequate reduction in emission intensity, the increased indirect pollution-associated premature deaths could largely offset that avoided by reduced direct pollution, and the indirect pollution-associated urban-rural inequalities might become severer. Developing pollution mitigation strategies from both production and consumption sides could help with reducing pollution-related mortality and associated urban-rural inequality.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Contaminación del Aire
/
Contaminantes Ambientales
Límite:
Humans
País/Región como asunto:
Asia
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Sci Bull (Beijing)
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article