Healthy wedges: A wedge-based analysis of air pollution benefits from greenhouse gas reduction strategies

Pacala and Sokolow's seminal 2004 Science paper laid out 15 wedges of greenhouse gas reductions from currently available technologies, of which any 7 would achieve the needed reductions in GHG emissions to stabilize CO2 levels. We have applied this wedge approach to the United States and assessed the reductions in particulate matter health effects associated with individual wedges and likely policy-relevant combinations. Assuming a baseline of air pollutant emissions that includes projected emissions under current regulations of mobile and stationary sources, additional reductions in conventional pollutants accompanying more stringent measures to reduce greenhouse gases are estimated to produce tens of billions of dollars in health benefits from reductions in particulate matter mortality and mobidity alone. This presentation will highlight the overall and comparative reductions in PM-related mortality and morbidity from these energy and transportation strategies.