Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Figures
- List of Tables
- List of Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Summaries
- Chapter 1 Air Pollution: Global Damage Costs from 1900 to 2050
- Chapter 2 Armed Conflicts: The Economic Welfare Costs of Conflict
- Chapter 3 Climate Change: The Economic Impact of Climate Change in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries
- Chapter 4 Ecosystems and Biodiversity: Economic Loss of Ecosystem Services from 1900 to 2050
- Chapter 5 Education: The Income and Equity Loss of not Having a Faster Rate of Human Capital Accumulation
- Chapter 6 Gender Inequality: A Key Global Challenge – Reducing Losses due to Gender Inequality
- Chapter 7 Human Health: The Twentieth-Century Transformation of Human Health – Its Magnitude and Value
- Chapter 8 Malnutrition: Global Economic Losses Attributable to Malnutrition 1900–2000 and Projections to 2050
- Chapter 9 Trade Barriers: Costing Global Trade Barriers, 1900 to 2050
- Chapter 10 Water and Sanitation: Economic Losses from Poor Water and Sanitation – Past, Present, and Future
- Index
- References
Chapter 1 - Air Pollution: Global Damage Costs from 1900 to 2050
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2014
By
Edited by
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Figures
- List of Tables
- List of Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Summaries
- Chapter 1 Air Pollution: Global Damage Costs from 1900 to 2050
- Chapter 2 Armed Conflicts: The Economic Welfare Costs of Conflict
- Chapter 3 Climate Change: The Economic Impact of Climate Change in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries
- Chapter 4 Ecosystems and Biodiversity: Economic Loss of Ecosystem Services from 1900 to 2050
- Chapter 5 Education: The Income and Equity Loss of not Having a Faster Rate of Human Capital Accumulation
- Chapter 6 Gender Inequality: A Key Global Challenge – Reducing Losses due to Gender Inequality
- Chapter 7 Human Health: The Twentieth-Century Transformation of Human Health – Its Magnitude and Value
- Chapter 8 Malnutrition: Global Economic Losses Attributable to Malnutrition 1900–2000 and Projections to 2050
- Chapter 9 Trade Barriers: Costing Global Trade Barriers, 1900 to 2050
- Chapter 10 Water and Sanitation: Economic Losses from Poor Water and Sanitation – Past, Present, and Future
- Index
- References
Summary
Problem Identification
Air pollution is a problem as old as history itself. Air pollution can be defined broadly as the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials into the atmosphere that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or cause damage to the natural environment or built environment. Air pollution can be classified into anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic origin. The latter includes natural events such as wildfires, volcanic activity, and dust/sandstorms. This source of air pollution is not considered in this chapter as it is largely context-specific, and since the year 1900 is likely to be relatively unimportant compared with air pollution of anthropogenic origin.
Anthropogenic, or man-made, air pollution can be traced back to when humanity discovered how to make fire. While air pollution in those days was insignificant compared to the present time, burning biomass in enclosed spaces for space heating or for cooking purposes would have exposed humans to risk of respiratory diseases and injuries. As human populations became settled and increasingly burned biomass and fossil fuels (such as coal) indoors, the exposure to air pollution and its negative consequences rose significantly. Annex 1 shows the percentage of populations in developing countries burning solid fuels indoors, ranging from 16% of households in Latin America and the Caribbean and Central and Eastern European regions, to 74% in Southeast Asian and Western Pacific regions and 77% in Africa (Rehfuess et al. 2006).
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- How Much Have Global Problems Cost the World?A Scorecard from 1900 to 2050, pp. 70 - 98Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2013
References
(2003) The value of life and health for public policy. The Economic Record 79: S2–S13.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , and (2006) Willingness to pay to reduce mortality risks: evidence from a three-country contingent valuation study. Environmental and Resource Economics 33: 251–264.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , , and (1998) Health and environmental benefits from air pollution reductions in Hungary. Science of the Total Environment 212: 245–268.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
and (2004) Valuation of property damages from urban air pollution: a case study of Colombo, Sri Lanka. Available at: Google Scholar
, , and (2007) The value of a statistical life: a meta-analysis with a mixed effects regression model. Journal of Health Economics 28: 444–464.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , and (2009) Valuing Lives Saved from Environmental, Transport and Health Policies: A Meta-analysis of Stated Preference Studies. Paris: OECD.Google Scholar
, , and (2002). The Health Effects of Indoor Air Pollution in Developing Countries. Geneva: WHO.Google Scholar
and (2005) A fresh look at the benefits and costs of the US acid rain program. Journal of Environmental Management 77: 252–266.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , et al. (2009) Climate change impacts in Europe: final report of the PESETA research project. Seville, Spain: European Commission Joint Research Centre.Google Scholar
and (2009) Valuing Mortality and Morbidity in the Context of Disaster Risks. New York: World Bank.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
(2007) A Meta-Analysis of Wage-Risk Estimates of the Value of Statistical Life. Norwich, UK: Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment.Google Scholar
(2000) Environmental externalities of motor vehicle use in the US. Journal of Transport Economics and Policy 34: 135–168.Google Scholar
, , , and (1996) The cost of crop damage caused by ozone air pollution from vehicles. Berkeley, CA: Institute of Transportation Studies.Google Scholar
, , and (2002) The health and visibility cost of air pollution: a comparison of estimation methods. Journal of Environmental Management 64: 139–152.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
and (2002) How to Make a Public Choice about the Value of a Statistical Life: The Case of Road Safety. Montreal: HEC.Google Scholar
(2010) European Union Emission Inventory Report 1990–2008 under the UNECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP). EEA Technical Report No. 7/2010.
and (1999) Estimating the cost of leisure time for recreation demand models. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management 38: 49–65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , and (2001) Quantifying the costs of air pollution: the ExternE project of the EC. Pollution Atmosphérique Special Issue: 77–104.Google Scholar
(2007) Economic evaluation of the improved household cooking stove dissemination programme in Uganda. Available at:
(2008) Costs and benefits of efficient institutional cook stoves in Malawi. Available at:
, , , et al. (2002) Economic Assessment of Crop Yield Losses from Ozone Exposure. Geneva: UNECE International Cooperative Programme on Vegetation.Google Scholar
(2008) Economic evaluation of environmental health interventions to support decision making. Environmental Health Insights 2: 137–155.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
, , , and (2006a) Evaluation of the Costs and Benefits of Household Energy and Health Interventions at Global and Regional Levels. Geneva: WHO.Google Scholar
, , , and (2006b) Global Cost-Benefit Analysis of Household Energy and Health Interventions. Geneva: Department for the Protection of the Human Environment, WHO.Google Scholar
, , and (2007) Evaluation of the costs and benefits of interventions to reduce indoor air pollution. Energy for Sustainable Development 11: 34–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , and (2006) An empirical Bayes approach to combining and comparing estimates of the value of a statistical life for environmental policy analysis. Environmental and Resource Economics 34: 385–406.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , , and (2001) Cost benefit analysis of the sulfur dioxide emissions control policy in Japan. Environmental Economics and Policy Studies 4: 219–233.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , , and (1993) Model for calculations of corrosion costs caused by air pollution and its application in three cities. In: , and (eds.), Progress in the Understanding and Prevention of Corrosion. London: Institute of Materials.Google Scholar
, , and (2008) Air Pollution Copenhagen Consensus 2008 Challenge Paper. Copenhagen Business School.Google Scholar
, , and (1996) The potential impact of ozone on materials. Atmospheric Environment 30: 1053–1065.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , , et al. (2004) Quantifying the human health benefits of curbing air pollution in Shanghai. Journal of Environmental Management 70: 49–62.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
(1998) Economic costs of air pollution with special reference to India. National Conference on Health and Environment, Delhi, India, July 7–9, 1998.Google Scholar
, , , et al. (1996) Urban air pollution in megacities of the world. Atmospheric Environment 30: 681–686.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , and (2009) An Analysis of Black Carbon Mitigation as a Response to Climate Change. Copenhagen Consensus Center.Google Scholar
and (2002) What determines the value of life? A meta-analysis. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 21: 253–270.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
and (2007) Measuring the damages of air pollution in the United States. Journal of Environmental Economics and Management 54: 1–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , , and (1999) The cost of crop damage caused by ozone air pollution from motor vehicles. Journal of Environmental Management 55: 273–289.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , and (2005) Health costs caused by oil extraction emissions and the benefits from abatement: the case of Kazakhstan. Energy Policy 33: 1169–1177.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , and (2009) Estimating the health and economic benefits associated with reducing air pollution in the Barcelona metropolitan area (Spain). Gaceta Sanitaria 23: 287–294.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , and (2008) Societal costs of air pollution-related health hazards: a review of methods and results. Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation 6 Article 19.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
and (2005) Clean Air for Europe (CAFE) Programme Cost–Benefit Analysis: Baseline Analysis 2000 to 2020, Study conducted by AEA Technology Environment for the European Commission, DG Environment.Google Scholar
(1999) Air pollution and buildings: an estimation of damage costs in France. Environmental Impact Assessment Review 19: 361–385.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , and (2006) Assessing household solid fuel use: multiple implications for the Millennium Development Goals. Environmental Health Perspectives 114: 373–378.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
(1999) Health Costs due to Road Traffic-Related Air Pollution: An Impact Assessment Project of Austria, France and Switzerland: Synthesis Report. Geneva: WHO Regional Office for Europe.Google Scholar
(2000) Sources of economic growth: an extensive accounting exercise. IMF Staff Papers 47: 129–158.Google Scholar
(2004) Value of Statistical Life Analysis and Environmental Policy: A White Paper. Washington, DC: US Environmental Protection Agency.Google Scholar
and (2003). The burden of disease from indoor air pollution in developing countries: comparison of estimates. International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health 206: 279–289.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
, , and (2005) A benefit–cost analysis of retrofitting diesel vehicles with particulate filters in the Mexico City metropolitan area. Risk Analysis 25: 883–899.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
(2006) Economic Analysis to Inform the Air Quality Strategy Review Consultation: Third Report of the Interdepartmental Group on Costs and Benefits. London: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).Google Scholar
(1999) The Benefits and Costs of the Clean Air Act: 1990 to 2010. .
(2000) National Air Pollution Emission Trends 1990–1998. Washington, DC: Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, US Environmental Protection Agency.Google Scholar
(2003) Benefits and Costs of the Clean Air Act: Second Prospective Study – 1990 to 2020. .
, , and (1988) Crop loss due to air pollution in The Netherlands. Environmental Pollution 53: 365–376.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
and (2003) The value of a statistical life: a critical review of market estimates throughout the world. Journal of Risk and Uncertainty 27: 5–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , , , and (2001) Cost-benefit analysis methods for assessing air pollution control programs in urban environments: a review. Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine 6: 63–73.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
(1999) Modified GDP through health cost analysis of air pollution: the case of Turkey. Environmental Management 23: 271–277.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed