SSEC Meetings

Presentation 1600-1630.  Energy production and consumption can emit different kinds of air pollutants, and thus has negative effects on the air quality that harms human health. The public health outcomes can be evaluated as economic benefits. Co-benefits models serve as tools to simulate the options of energy plans and estimate the economic effects resulting from the health outcomes. This research is to use CO-Benefits Risk Assessment (COBRA), a kind of reduced-form co-benefit model, to study public health outcomes and economic benefits of 50% emission reduction of particulate matter precursors across the United States and in Wisconsin. According to the 2016 baseline in COBRA, I created scenarios of 50% emission reduction of particulate matter precursors across the United States and in Wisconsin. There are three findings: 1) Emission reductions of all five PM precursors (Primary PM2.5, SO2, NOx, NH3, and VOC) from the electricity utility in fuel combustion mitigated the PM2.5 concentrations the most; 2) SO2 emission reduction alleviated the most PM2.5 levels in Kentucky, Ohio, and Pennsylvania; 3) Michigan gained the most health benefits and associated economic benefits from Wisconsin’s 50% reduction of all kinds of emissions from fuel combustion for electricity use. Even though this research is limited by scenarios that were not based on a realistic energy plan and limitations of COBRA, it illustrates that there is a need to reduce the emissions to bring about positive health outcomes and economic benefits to both local and nearby regions.