The Health Benefits of Controlling Carbon Emissions in China 1

Air pollution from rapid industrialization and the use of energy has been recognized to be a cause of serious health problems in urban China. For example, the World Bank (1997) estimated that air pollution caused 178,000 premature deaths in urban China in 1995 and valued health damages at nearly 5% of GDP. The same study estimated that hospital admissions due to pollution-related respiratory illness were 346,000 higher than if China had met its own air pollution standards, there were 6.8 million additional emergency room visits, and 4.5 million additional person-years were lost because of illnesses associated with pollution levels that exceeded standards. Much of this damage has been attributed to emissions of particulates and sulfur dioxide. Furthermore, this problem is expected to grow in the near future as rapid growth outpaces efforts to reduce emissions.

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