HR: 10:45h
AN: U31D-02 INVITED     [PDF]
TI: Does consideration of GHG reductions change local decision making? A Case Study in Chile
AU: * Cifuentes, L A
EM: lac@ing.puc.cl
AF: P. Universidad Catolica de Chile., Industrial Engineering Department Av Vicuna Mackenna 4860, Santiago, 6904411 Chile
AU: Blumel, G
EM: gblumel@puc.cl
AF: P. Universidad Catolica de Chile., Industrial Engineering Department Av Vicuna Mackenna 4860, Santiago, 6904411 Chile
AB: While local air pollution has been a public concern in developing countries for some time, climate change is looked upon as a non-urgent, developed world problem. In this work we present a case study of the interaction of measures to abate air pollution and measures to mitigate GHG emissions in Santiago, Chile, with the purpose of determining if the consideration of reductions in GHG affects the decisions taken to mitigate local air pollution. The emissions reductions of both GHG and local air pollutants were estimated from emission factors (some derived locally) and changes in activity levels. Health benefits due to air pollution abatement were computed using figures derived previously for the cost benefit analysis of Santiago's Decontamination Plan, transferred to the different cities taking into consideration local demographic and income data. The Santiago estimates were obtained using the damage function approach, based on some local epidemiological studies, and on local health and demographic data. Unit social values for the effects were estimated locally (for cost of treatment and lost productivity values) or extrapolated from US values (mainly for WTP values) using the ratio of per-capita income and an income elasticity of 1. The average benefits of emission abatement (in 1997 US\$ per ton) are 1,800 (1,200-2300) for NOx, 3,000 (2,100-3900) for SO2, 31,900 (21,900 - 41,900) for PM, and 630 (430 - 830) for resuspended dust. Economic benefits due to carbon reduction were considered at 3.5, 10 and 20 US\$/tCO2. Marginal abatement cost curves were constructed considering private and net costs (private less the potential sales of carbon credits) Due to the bottom-up approach to constructing the marginal cost curve, many abatement measures (like congestion tolls and CNG instead of diesel buses) amounting to 8% reduction of PM2.5 concentration, exhibit a negative private cost. If the health benefits are considered for the decision, a maximum reduction of 22% in PM2.5 levels is obtained. Although many measures have associated reductions in GHG, due to the relatively low price considered for carbon reductions, when the potential benefits of CO2 sales are considered, this number does not increases. Therefore, consideration of the CO2 benefits did not change the decision for any of the 36 measures analyzed. This confirms that the main driver for air pollution policy is likely to continue to be local concerns, like public health issues.
DE: 0345 Pollution--urban and regional (0305)
DE: 6620 Science policy
SC: U
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting