Accelerating Decarbonization in the United States Technology, Policy, and Societal Dimensions (2024) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 155-192
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. However, there are decarbonization pathways that will directly address the impacts of fossil fuel combustion while indi rectly lessening the adverse health impacts of climate change.
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. This section describes co-benefits of decarbonization for air quality, built environment, transportation, water quality, nutrition, and occupa tional health.
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Numerous studies have quantified health benefits for specific decarbonization poli cies, such as replacing fossil fuel combustion for energy generation with renewable options, and have found that benefits vary based on region, technology, and method ology (e.g., model assumptions, extent of life-cycle assessment)
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. The provisions include appropriations for fleets of zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, appropriations for light-duty EVs, and spending programs to reduce air pollution at ports; tax credits for electricity produced from renewables or new solar and wind facilities in low-income communities; appropriations for construction of renewable energy facilities and energy efficient build ings; spending programs for improving air quality monitoring for underserved popula tions and at schools and block grants for environmental and climate justice projects; and appropriations for clean energy projects, including the EPA Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which was modeled on successful green banks.
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. According to a presentation from the REPEAT Project, the IRA could have health benefits of reducing 5,800 premature deaths from particulate matter annually by 2030 (Jenkins et al.
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Lastly, regional variation in emissions sources can affect the co-benefit estimate -- using wind or solar to replace a highly polluting coal-fired power plant versus a somewhat less polluting natural gas-fired plant. Health benefits from replacing existing electricity sources with wind, rooftop solar, and utility solar energy in 2017 have been estimated across the 10 U.S.
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. It will be important to consider both health and equity impacts of decarbonization technologies during this energy transition.
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Creating green space in built environments can provide many potential benefits related to health and decarbonization, including reducing urban heat, reducing air pollution, and benefiting mental health. Green spaces reduce urban heat by increasing evapora tive cooling, creating shade, and altering wind around buildings, and this heat reduction has both energy and health impacts.
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Energy Efficiency Substantial health co-benefits can result from decarbonizing the built environment, specifically from energy efficient buildings. These co-benefits include improved men tal and physical health, and reduced risk of dehydration and excess winter mortality in hot climates (IEA 2019)
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and the built environment (Chapter 7) as separate sectors in of themselves.
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. Active Transportation Active travel, including walking and cycling, can reduce emissions associated with gaso line combustion and improve health through increased physical activity (Castillo et al.
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. Nonetheless, the health benefits from active travel are substantial, and health promotion priority for walkable and bikeable communities within transportation decarbonization planning is elevated because small incremental increases in routine exercise at the population level offer substantial health benefits (Mueller et al.
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. Increased mining for the critical minerals needed for clean energy technologies could negate some of these potential water quality benefits, although there are recommended technologies and policies to mitigate environmental impacts of mining (IEA 2021)
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. There are numerous significant health benefits of sustainable and plant-based diets (Gao et al.
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Analysis of the comparative risk of severe injuries has found that fossil fuels jobs entail greater health risk (higher overall fatalities and higher fatalities per unit of energy produced) than jobs in wind or solar electricity, hydropower, and nuclear energy (Burgherr and Hirschberg 2014)
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energy system has the potential to provide substantial health co-benefits including access to safe active transportation op tions, reduced heat islands, and reduced air and water pollution. However, there are risks to human health that need to be avoided during the energy transition.
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Many energy technologies that do not burn fossil fuels are associated with reduced exposure to pollution (Chapman et al. 2018; Hawkins et al.
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Continued Combustion of Fuels A net-zero future will likely still require combustion of fuels for certain applica tions to maintain reliable and affordable energy services. For example, biofuels or low-carbon synthetic fuels may be required to decarbonize aviation and some heavy-duty transportation, and natural gas burning power plants with carbon capture and sequestration (CCS)
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In some cases, use of low-carbon fuels and biofuels and deployment of CCS may fail to maximize the health co-benefits and to some extent, impede decarbonization.8 For example, large subsidies on biofuels, particularly first-generation biofuels, could miss health benefits that would be obtained with other renewable energy options and con tribute to worse harms via air and water pollution and higher food prices -- while also failing to meet GHG emission targets (Lark et al.
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. See Chapter 9 for more informa tion about the critical minerals and supply chain associated with electric vehicles.
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(See Chapter 9 for more information about mitigating mineral extraction.) Likewise, the planning for the decommissioning and restoration of the sites of mining, natural resource extraction, oil and gas production, and fossil power plants 175 A00026 -- Accelerating Decarbonization in the United States_CH03.indd 175 4/13/24 10:31 AM
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Finding 3-7: Some components for low-carbon energy technology show potential health harms for workers or the general population that must be mitigated and weighed against other expected benefits, especially the benefit of reduced life-cycle harms from fossil fuels, which include contamination during resource extraction or oil spills. Recommendation 3-3: Assess Occupational Health Risks Associated with Clean Energy Technologies.
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Some studies estimating health impacts of EVs charged by coal power indicate 80 percent higher environmental health costs relative to an ICEV fleet (Tessum et al.
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, National • Industry Reporting Decision-Making Center for • Fossil fuels for Adaptive Environmental Management Health/Agency Ensuring Equity, for Toxic Justice, Health, Substances and and Fairness of Disease Registry Impacts (NCEH/ATSDR) , Department of Health and Human Services Office of Climate Change and Health Equity 3-3: Assess CDC, NCEH/ATSDR, • Electricity • Equity Ensuring Equity, Occupational Occupational • Buildings • Health Justice, Health, Health Risks Safety and Health • Transportation • Employment and Fairness of Associated with Administration • Industry Impacts Clean Energy • Fossil fuels Research, Technologies Development, and Demonstration Needs a The text in this table was changed during editorial review to improve clarity and alignment with information in other sections of the report 178 A00026 -- Accelerating Decarbonization in the United States_CH03.indd 178 4/13/24 10:31 AM
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2019. "Air Quality-Related Health Benefits of Energy Efficiency in the United States." Environmental Science and Technology 53(7)
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2019. "Climate and Health Benefits of Increasing Renewable Energy Deployment in the United States." Environmental Research Letters 14(11)
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2018. "Prioritizing Mitigation Efforts Considering Co-Benefits, Equity and Energy Justice: Fossil Fuel to Renewable Energy Transition Pathways." Applied Energy 219:187–198.
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2022. 2018 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey: Consumption and Expenditures Highlights.
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2023. "What Are the Climate, Air Pollution, and Health Benefits of Electric Vehicles?
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2012. "Air Quality and Exercise-Related Health Benefits from Reduced Car Travel in the Midwestern United States." Environmental Health Perspectives 120(1)
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2021. "The Role of Critical Minerals in Clean Energy Transitions." World Energy Outlook Special Report.
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2022. "A Turning Point for US Climate Progress: Assessing the Climate and Clean Energy Provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act." Rhodium Group.
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Power Sector: Air Quality, Water Quality, Land Use and Environmental Justice. Oak Ridge, TN: Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
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2015. "Health Impact Assessment of Active Transportation: A Systematic Review." Preventive Medicine 76:103–114.
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2022. "The 2022 Report of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change: Health at the Mercy of Fossil Fuels." Lancet 400(10363)
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2022. Beyond Clean Energy: The Financial Incidence and Health Effects of the IRA.
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2009. "Air Quality Impacts of Using Overnight Electricity Generation to Charge Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles for Daytime Use." Environmental Research Letters 4(1)
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Renewable Portfolio Standards." NREL/ TP-6A20-65005. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
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