TY - JOUR
T1 - Impacts of Trans-Provincial Thermal Power Transmission on Air-Quality Recovery and Related Health Outcomes in China
AU - Han, Guoling
AU - Chen, Long
AU - Wei, Wendong
AU - Zhang, Pengfei
AU - Xu, Zeng
AU - Liang, Sai
AU - Yang, Yi
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 American Chemical Society.
PY - 2023/6/6
Y1 - 2023/6/6
N2 - Trans-provincial thermal power transmission has become an important measure for optimizing power allocation and alleviating the mismatch between regional power production and consumption in China, however, leading to inter-regional redistribution of air pollution. Here, we investigated the impacts of thermal power transmission on air-quality recovery and related health outcomes in China. The results showed that the redistribution of air pollutant emissions contributed to air-quality improvements and health benefits in the eastern regions but to the opposite side in the western regions. On a national scale, trans-provincial thermal power transmission contributed to a change in air quality from slightly polluted to good conditions for a period of 9 days under the standard of 75 μg m−3, accounting for 1.8% of the total number of polluted days in 4 months of 2017 and promoting air-quality recovery in China. Furthermore, the recovery totally reduced the number of premature deaths (exposed to fine particulate matter, PM2.5) by 2392 persons (95% confidence interval: 1495−3124) in 2017. Owing to thermal power retrofits and stable power transmission structure, transmission network expansion during the last decade has not brought significant changes in its impacts on air pollution. However, the environmental inequity caused by thermal power transmission stimulates further attention on coordinating regional interests in air pollution control through various production-side and consumption-side measures.
AB - Trans-provincial thermal power transmission has become an important measure for optimizing power allocation and alleviating the mismatch between regional power production and consumption in China, however, leading to inter-regional redistribution of air pollution. Here, we investigated the impacts of thermal power transmission on air-quality recovery and related health outcomes in China. The results showed that the redistribution of air pollutant emissions contributed to air-quality improvements and health benefits in the eastern regions but to the opposite side in the western regions. On a national scale, trans-provincial thermal power transmission contributed to a change in air quality from slightly polluted to good conditions for a period of 9 days under the standard of 75 μg m−3, accounting for 1.8% of the total number of polluted days in 4 months of 2017 and promoting air-quality recovery in China. Furthermore, the recovery totally reduced the number of premature deaths (exposed to fine particulate matter, PM2.5) by 2392 persons (95% confidence interval: 1495−3124) in 2017. Owing to thermal power retrofits and stable power transmission structure, transmission network expansion during the last decade has not brought significant changes in its impacts on air pollution. However, the environmental inequity caused by thermal power transmission stimulates further attention on coordinating regional interests in air pollution control through various production-side and consumption-side measures.
KW - air pollutants
KW - air quality
KW - environmental inequity
KW - health outcomes
KW - thermal power transmission
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85162207088
U2 - 10.1021/acs.est.2c08925
DO - 10.1021/acs.est.2c08925
M3 - 文章
C2 - 37212618
AN - SCOPUS:85162207088
SN - 0013-936X
VL - 57
SP - 8289
EP - 8300
JO - Environmental Science and Technology
JF - Environmental Science and Technology
IS - 22
ER -