OECD Environment Working Papers

ISSN :
1997-0900 (online)
DOI :
10.1787/19970900
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This series is designed to make available to a wider readership selected studies on environmental issues prepared for use within the OECD. Authorship is usually collective, but principal authors are named. The papers are generally available only in their original language English or French with a summary in the other if available.
 

The Health Costs of Inaction with Respect to Air Pollution You or your institution have access to this content

Authors:
Pascale Scapecchi1
Author Affiliations
  • 1: OECD, France

Publication Date
06 June 2008
Bibliographic information
No.:
2
Pages
49
DOI
10.1787/241481086362

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How much does the environment affect human health? Is air pollution shortening our lives and those of our children? These questions are fundamental to environmental policies. Air pollution is a major environmental health threat in OECD countries, contributing to a number of illnesses, such as asthma, cancer and premature deaths. Despite national and international interventions and decreases in major emissions, the health impacts of air pollution are not likely to decrease in the years ahead, unless appropriate action is taken. This report presents estimates of the costs and benefits of environmental policies aiming at reducing air pollution and provides policy recommendations in order to better address environmental health issues.
JEL Classification:
  • D61: Microeconomics / Welfare Economics / Allocative Efficiency; Cost–Benefit Analysis
  • D62: Microeconomics / Welfare Economics / Externalities
  • H43: Public Economics / Publicly Provided Goods / Project Evaluation; Social Discount Rate
  • I18: Health, Education, and Welfare / Health / Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
  • Q51: Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics / Environmental Economics / Valuation of Environmental Effects
  • Q53: Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics / Environmental Economics / Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling