Sources of Air Pollution Health Impacts and Co-Benefits of Carbon Neutrality in Santiago, Chile

The population of Santiago, Chile, experiences air pollution above global health guidelines that is attributable in part to large anthropogenic emissions. This is compounded by geographic features and meteorological conditions that are prone to pollution accumulation as well as secondary pollution production. In recent years, there have been improvements in air quality; however, the future of air pollution in Santiago remains unclear due to its growing population and increased vehicle use. Mitigation efforts can be supported by characterizing sources of air pollution and estimating how changes in emissions could affect air quality in future years. In this study, we conduct simulations using a chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem) and perform adjoint calculations to characterize the relationship between health impacts associated with exposure to PM2.5, O-3, and NO2 and anthropogenic emissions. We incorporate model updates in a new nested domain simulation over Central South America including local and regional anthropogenic emissions inventories for Chile. We estimate that 2,490 (1,360, 4,060) PM2.5- and O-3-related premature deaths and 5,350 (1,320, 11,330) NO2-related new pediatric asthma cases were associated with pollution exposure in Santiago in 2015 and that a majority of these health impacts were attributable to anthropogenic emissions. We identify emissions from transportation, energy generation, and residential combustion as the leading contributors to these health impacts. Additionally, we estimate that Chile's commitment to attain carbon neutrality by 2050 could result in benefits in Santiago of 3,230 (1,240, 7,160) avoided deaths and 2,590 (640, 5,500) avoided pediatric asthma cases in 2050 compared to business-as-usual emissions.

Automated summary

The population of Santiago, Chile, is facing air pollution issues primarily due to anthropogenic emissions and geographic and meteorological factors. Despite improvements in air quality in recent years, the future of air pollution in Santiago remains uncertain due to population growth and increased vehicle use. Mitigation efforts can be supported by studying the sources and impacts of air pollution. This study uses a chemical transport model and adjoint calculations to characterize the relationship between pollution exposure and health impacts, identifying anthropogenic emissions as the main contributors.