Search

To confront the challenges posed by air pollution and climate change, China has undertaken significant initiatives to develop strategies that address both issues concurrently. However, the health benefits of these initiatives have not been clearly articulated. In this study, the dynamic changes in health impacts under air pollution and carbon reduction actions in China are evaluated by employing the latest concentration-response models and projected PM 2.5 concentrations under future scenarios. From 2020 to 2060, the enforcement of clean air and climate mitigation policies is expected to increase the percentage of the population living with PM 2.5 concentrations meeting the 10 μg/m 3 standard by 79 %. Without the implementation of relevant mitigation measures, PM 2.5 -associated deaths are projected to double due to an aging population. In comparison to the 2060 reference scenario, the joint implementation of clean air and carbon neutrality measures is expected to reduce nationwide PM 2.5 -associated mortality by 62 %, equivalent to 2.15 (95 % CI: 1.80-2.48) million deaths. Stringent pollution controls are crucial for reducing PM 2.5 -associated deaths before 2030, after which carbon neutrality actions become increasingly significant from 2030 to 2060. The challenges of mitigating future PM 2.5 -associated deaths vary greatly across regions, showing a critical response to pollution control and carbon reduction. The research proves the effectiveness of China's future air pollution control and carbon reduction policies in mitigating PM 2.5 -associated deaths., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Environmental regulations aim to reduce pollution and improve air quality and the health of residents. However, there is a lack of research focusing on the health and welfare effects of low-carbon city pilot policies. In this context, this study takes China's low-carbon city pilot policy as an entry point, focuses on the health effects of public environmental governance, and systematically investigates the effects and mechanisms of low-carbon city development on the health of middle-aged and elderly people by applying the difference-in-differences method. The study finds that low-carbon city (LCC) policy significantly improves the physical and mental health of middle-aged and elderly people, and the main transmission mechanism is the reduction in air pollution and improvement in social capital. These results hold following a series of robustness tests. Furthermore, low-carbon city construction can reduce hospitalization and outpatient costs for people over 45 years old by up to 3 % and 15.5 %, respectively. The findings of this study provide useful policy insights for ensuring sustainable improvement in environmental quality and public health., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Spatial misallocation of resource elements impedes the coordination in regional co-benefit in carbon emission and pollution reduction. Guided by scope economy principles, this study aims to quantifies co-benefits and explores spatial variation patterns to facilitate mutual synergy. The findings offer valuable insights for identifying optimal focus points and shaping targeted collaborative policies. Based on the multi-source provincial panel data spanning 2000 to 2021, this paper quantitatively assesses the co-benefit through the lens of marginal abatement cost. Then, the Dagum Gini coefficient was employed to investigate the disparities at the spatial level. Additionally, geographical detector is introduced to analyze the source of disparities at the factor level. Results indicate: (1) Under joint reduction, the marginal abatement cost reduces by 57.86% and 79.97% respectively, with an overall 68.77% increase in co-benefit fluctuation. (2) Provinces with low co-benefit significantly decreased after 2007, while provinces with high co-benefit concentrated in the northwest, southwest, and east. (3) Overall disparities decreased, east-central regions hold the lowest spatial disparities in co-benefit and east-west hold the most; intragroup differences and supervariable density primarily contributes to the disparity. (4) FDI significantly influence the co-benefit over the past two decades, with spatial disparities influenced by both endogenous and exogenous factors across development stages., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology represents a disruptive innovation that has garnered significant interest among researchers for its potential applications in ecological and environmental management. While many studies have investigated the impact of AI on carbon emissions, relatively few have delved into its relationship with air pollution. This study sets out to explore the causal mechanisms and constraints linking AI technologies and air pollution, using provincial panel data collected from 2007 to 2020 in China. Furthermore, this study examines the distinct pathways through which AI technology can ameliorate air pollution and reduce carbon emissions. The findings reveal the following key insights: (1) AI technologies have the capacity to significantly reduce air pollution, particularly in terms of PM 2.5 and SO 2 levels. (2) AI technologies contribute to enhanced air quality by facilitating adjustments in energy structures, improving energy efficiency, and strengthening digital infrastructure. Nonetheless, it is important to note that adjusting the energy structure remains the most practical approach for reducing carbon emissions. (3) The efficacy of AI in controlling air pollution is influenced by geographical location, economic development level, level of information technology development, resource dependence, and public attention. In conclusion, this study proposes novel policy recommendations to offer fresh perspectives to countries interested in leveraging AI for the advancement of ecological and environmental governance., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In 2015, the central government of China established the Central Environmental Protection Inspection (CEPI) system for oversight of local governments. It enhanced local government enforcement of environmental regulations, which had a considerable influence on the health of the local older adult population. This study quantifies the effects of local government regulation brought about by CEPI on the health of the older adult. It examines the impact mechanism using the DID model and panel data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS). The results show that (1) local governments' environmental protection regulations implemented by CEPI have a positive impact on the general health of the older adult. The results of the study passed the parallel trend test, PSM test, replacement variable test, and placebo test and remained significant; (2) in terms of the impact mechanism, CEPI has promoted local governments' environmental governance initiatives, which has reduced industrial wastewater emissions, industrial sulfur dioxide emissions, and industrial fumes emissions. This has improved air quality, thereby creating a good living environment for the older adult and improving their overall health; (3) according to heterogeneity research, the health of older adult living in the Yangtze River Basin, urban older adult, and older adult without chronic diseases is more significantly affected by the environmental protection regulations of the local governments brought about by CEPI., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Yang, Deng, Ye, Liu and Hu.)