Journal
ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS
Volume 191, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2021.107232
Keywords
Agricultural air pollution; Flexitarian diet; Premature mortality; Ammonia emission
Funding
- EMME-CARE project from the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme [856612]
- Cyprus Government
- European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme VI-SEEM project [675121]
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The study suggests a shift towards more plant-based diets to reduce agricultural air pollution, which could decrease ammonia emissions by 33% in the European Union and generate significant co-benefits for air quality and human health. Economic benefits from improved human health may also offset the economic losses in the agricultural sector.
Agriculture is a major source of air pollution in Europe, with adverse impacts on human health. Having recognized the serious health outcomes, and in direct response to public demand for a cleaner environment, European public policies are aiming to reduce air pollution. This study proposes a shift to more plant-based human diets to help achieve bold reduction targets for air pollution from agriculture. To assess the potential reduction in agricultural air pollution, we combine a large-scale partial equilibrium model for agriculture (CAPRI) with an atmospheric chemistry model (WRF-Chem). The health impacts from improved air quality are summarized as premature mortality rates, which are estimated from simulated changes in annual mean PM2.5 concentrations. We find that a shift to plant-based (flexitarian) diets would reduce ammonia emissions by 33% in the European Union (EU), generating significant co-benefits for air quality and human health. The economic benefits from improved human health would also largely mitigate the economic losses in the agricultural sector (39% in the EU and 49% in Europe as a whole). Our results suggest that, by shifting to plant-based human diets, European agriculture could significantly contribute to the targets in the EU Zero Pollution Action Plan.
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