Abstract

Background:

While various policies have been implemented globally to mitigate climate change and reduce exposure to toxic air pollutants, policy assessments have considered few if any of the benefits to children.

Objective:

To comprehensively assess the co-benefits of climate change mitigation to children, we expanded the suite of adverse health outcomes in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program (BenMAP) to include additional outcomes associated with prenatal and childhood exposure to ambient fine particulate matter (${\mathrm{PM}}_{2.5}$). We applied this newly expanded program to an assessment of the U.S. Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the United States’ first regional market-based regulatory program designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the electric power sector within the Northeast.

Methods:

We used calculated changes in ambient ${\mathrm{PM}}_{2.5}$ concentrations for the period 2009–2014, with newly incorporated concentration–response (C-R) functions to quantify changes in the incidence of preterm birth (PTB), term low birth weight (TLBW), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and asthma. These outcomes are causally or likely to be causally related to ${\mathrm{PM}}_{2.5}$ exposure. Cost per case estimates were incorporated to monetize those changes in incidence.

Results:

The estimated avoided cases of adverse child health outcomes included 537 asthma cases, 112 preterm births, 98 cases of ASD, and 56 cases of TLBW, with an associated avoided cost estimate ranging from $191 to $350 million. In a previous analysis of health benefits of RGGI, the only benefits accruing to children were limited to prevented cases of infant mortality and respiratory illnesses, with a monetized impact of $8.1 million—only 2–4% of the new results attributable to RGGI.

Conclusion:

The results of this innovative analysis indicate that RGGI has provided substantial child health benefits beyond those initially considered. Moreover, those health benefits had significant estimated economic value. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP6706

 抽象的

 背景：

尽管全球已经实施了各种政策来缓解气候变化和减少接触有毒空气污染物，但政策评估几乎没有考虑到对儿童的好处。

 客观的：

为了全面评估减缓气候变化对儿童的共同效益，我们扩大了美国环境保护局效益绘图和分析计划 (BenMAP) 中的一系列不利健康结果，纳入了与产前和儿童时期接触环境细颗粒物相关的其他结果事情 （${\mathrm{<span\; data-immersive-translate-walked="5426875c-77ca-404e-9493-3f8bea9c8275">下午</span>}}_{\mathrm{<span\; data-immersive-translate-walked="5426875c-77ca-404e-9493-3f8bea9c8275">2.5</span>}}$ ）。我们将这一新扩展的计划应用于对美国区域温室气体倡议 (RGGI) 的评估，这是美国第一个基于市场的区域监管计划，旨在减少东北部电力行业的温室气体排放。

 方法：

我们使用计算出的环境变化${\mathrm{<span\; data-immersive-translate-walked="5426875c-77ca-404e-9493-3f8bea9c8275">下午</span>}}_{\mathrm{<span\; data-immersive-translate-walked="5426875c-77ca-404e-9493-3f8bea9c8275">2.5</span>}}$ 2009-2014年期间的浓度，新纳入浓度反应（CR）功能来量化早产（PTB）、足月低出生体重（TLBW）、自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）和哮喘发生率的变化。这些结果与以下因素有因果关系或可能有因果关系${\mathrm{<span\; data-immersive-translate-walked="5426875c-77ca-404e-9493-3f8bea9c8275">下午</span>}}_{\mathrm{<span\; data-immersive-translate-walked="5426875c-77ca-404e-9493-3f8bea9c8275">2.5</span>}}$接触。每个病例的成本估算被纳入其中，以将发病率的这些变化货币化。

 结果：

预计避免的不良儿童健康结果病例包括 537 例哮喘病例、112 例早产、98 例 ASD 病例和 56 例 TLBW 病例，相关避免成本估计为 191 至 3.5 亿美元。在之前对 RGGI 健康益处的分析中，儿童获得的唯一益处仅限于预防婴儿死亡和呼吸系统疾病，货币化影响为 810 万美元，仅占新结果的 2-4% 归因于 RGGI。

 结论：