Source-Specific Air Pollution Emissions Inequalities From 2011 to 2020 in Virginia

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Public Health
• Environmental Justice

Background:

• Air quality has improved nationally, but pollution reduction is uneven.
• Uneven pollution decreases may worsen existing racial and ethnic exposure disparities.
• Spatial variations in pollution sources contribute to these inequalities.

Purpose of the Study:

• Identify specific pollutant sources exacerbating racial and ethnic inequalities in Virginia.
• Inform targeted policies to reduce environmental disparities.
• Analyze inequalities for four key pollutants: nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and fine particulate matter (PM2.5).

Main Methods:

• Utilized emissions data from the National Emissions Inventory and MOtor Vehicle Emissions Simulator.
• Incorporated race and ethnicity data from the American Community Survey (2011-2020).
• Applied the Atkinson Index to quantify inequality for source-pollutant pairs across demographic groups.

Main Results:

• Most emission sources showed unequal distribution for at least one pollutant.
• Electricity generation was linked to the most significant inequalities across pollutants.
• Mobile source inequality increased between 2011 and 2020, despite emission reductions.

Conclusions:

• Identifying key pollution sources is vital for effective environmental justice policies.
• Reducing emissions from electricity generation and mobile sources can address significant inequalities.
• Policy interventions must consider source-specific impacts on different racial and ethnic groups.