In a groundbreaking study published in the esteemed journal Environmental Science and Ecotechnology, researchers from Beijing Normal University have utilized cutting-edge models from the fields of physics, economics, and epidemiology to unravel the complex web of supply chains linked to fine particle pollution (PM2.5) and the resulting premature mortality across China.
This study comes at a critical time as China faces rapid economic growth and urbanization, leading to high energy consumption and severe atmospheric pollution. While these factors contribute to over a million premature deaths annually, the diligent efforts of the Chinese government have resulted in a gradual decline in PM2.5 concentration. However, further reduction of pollution poses significant technical and economic challenges, emphasizing the need for innovative approaches.
By unpacking the intricate dynamics of pollution redistribution, the study reveals that product trade plays a crucial role in shifting pollution and its associated health burdens across sectors and regions. Notably, consumption-based effects from sectors such as food, light industry, equipment, construction, and services contribute significantly more to deaths compared to production-based effects, accounting for 63% of the national total.
Furthermore, interprovincial trade emerges as a key player in this issue, with 25.7% of China’s PM2.5-related deaths attributed to these exchanges. Intriguingly, the majority of air pollution is transferred from central and northern regions to the economically thriving east coast provinces, where capital investment heavily involves equipment and construction products.
Highlights
- Evaluation of anthropogenic PM2.5 pollution deaths driven by trade within China
- Significantly higher number of deaths from a supply chain perspective in sectors such as food, light industry, equipment, construction, and services
- Capital investment contributes to 56% of pollution deaths relocation among provinces
- 66% of pollution deaths transferred among regions originate from agricultural, nonmetal, metal, and energy sectors
The insights gained from this study greatly enhance our understanding of pollution transfer through trade chains and provide a comprehensive assessment of PM2.5-related health burdens across different regions and sectors. To ensure ongoing progress, the study emphasizes the importance of sustainable development in high-quality industries, promotion of green consumption patterns, particularly during the urbanization process, and implementation of coordinated pollution control actions across regions.
Future research should focus on refining the cost-effectiveness analysis of technology transfer and cooperation between regions and sectors to facilitate better-coordinated efforts in mitigating pollution.
More information:
Hongyan Zhao et al, Air pollution health burden embodied in China’s supply chains, Environmental Science and Ecotechnology (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.ese.2023.100264
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Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences
Citation:
New study maps impact of interprovincial trade on pollution-related mortality in China (2023, June 16)
retrieved 16 June 2023
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