OECD Environment Working Papers
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.
- ISSN: 19970900 (online)
- https://doi.org/10.1787/19970900
The Health Costs of Inaction with Respect to Air Pollution
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:
D62: Microeconomics / Welfare Economics / Externalities;
Q51: Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics / Environmental Economics / Valuation of Environmental Effects;
D61: Microeconomics / Welfare Economics / Allocative Efficiency; Cost-Benefit Analysis;
Q53: Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics / Environmental Economics / Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling;
I18: Health, Education, and Welfare / Health / Health: Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health;
H43: Public Economics / Publicly Provided Goods / Project Evaluation; Social Discount Rate
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