International trade and air-quality-related mortality

Area of Science:

• Environmental science
• Public health
• Environmental economics

Background:

• Ambient air pollution is a leading global cause of mortality.
• International trade can redistribute air pollution's health burdens, but country-level data are scarce.
• Existing economic valuation methods often overlook or undervalue mortality costs in lower-income nations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the health impacts of international trade on air pollution-related mortality.
• To analyze how trade between countries with different GDP levels affects mortality distribution.
• To propose an improved method for valuing the air pollution impacts of trade.

Main Methods:

• Coupling of economic, atmospheric transport, and epidemiological models.
• Analysis of trade flows between countries with significant per-capita GDP disparities.
• Quantification of mortalities linked to fine particulate air pollution from trade.

Main Results:

• 14-18% of 5.1 million annual fine particulate air pollution mortalities are associated with trade across a wealth gap.
• Higher-GDP countries consuming goods/services contribute to pollution exposure in lower-income countries (≥50% lower per-capita GDP).
• Significant mortality transfers occur due to trade, disproportionately affecting lower-income nations.

Conclusions:

• Trade-related air pollution mortality transfers are substantial and linked to economic disparities.
• Conventional economic valuation methods are insufficient for assessing trade's full health costs.
• A new valuation method is proposed to mitigate negative trade spillover effects and avoid prioritizing pollution in low-income countries.