Co-benefits of a flexitarian diet for air quality and human health in Europe
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12186000 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mihály Himics (0000-0003-3923-9898, Joint Research Center, corresponding author), Elias Giannakis (0000-0002-1779-9811, Cyprus Institute), Jonilda Kushta (0000-0003-3695-9267, Cyprus Institute), Jordan Hristov (0000-0002-9303-5645, Joint Research Center), Amarendra Sahoo (Joint Research Center), Ignácio Pérez Domínguez (0000-0002-0279-6263, Joint Research Center), Ignacio Pérez-Domínguez |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 191 |
| Pages | 107232-107232 |
| Publication date | 2021-09-27 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Ecological Economics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0921-8009 • E-ISSN: 1873-6106 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2021.107232 |
| OpenAlex | W3204290639 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 46 |
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
Action plan · Agricultural economics · Agriculture · Air pollution · Air quality index · Biology · Business · Economic policy · Economics · Environmental health · Environmental planning · Environmental protection · European union · Geography · Human health · Meteorology · Natural resource economics · Public health · Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact · Air Quality and Health Impacts · Climate Change and Health Impacts · Environmental Science · Medicine · Ecology · Pollution
Sustainable diets deliver synergistic benefits to global resources, environment, and health
The Influence of Framing Plant-Based Products in Terms of Their Health vs. Environmental Benefits
Identifying Personal and Social Drivers of Dietary Patterns
Pricing GHG emissions in agriculture
Benefits of air quality for human health resulting from climate change mitigation through dietary change and food loss prevention policy
Exploring the environmental impact associated with the abandonment of the Mediterranean Diet, and how to reduce it with alternative sustainable diets
Analysis and valuation of the health and climate change cobenefits of dietary change
Environmental impact of dietary change
Options for keeping the food system within environmental limits
Estimates and 25-year trends of the global burden of disease attributable to ambient air pollution
Global food system emissions could preclude achieving the 1.5° and 2°C climate change targets
An Integrated Risk Function for Estimating the Global Burden of Disease Attributable to Ambient Fine Particulate Matter Exposure
Global estimates of mortality associated with long-term exposure to outdoor fine particulate matter
Fully coupled “online” chemistry within the WRF model
The contribution of outdoor air pollution sources to premature mortality on a global scale
Integrate health into decision-making to foster climate action
The nonlinear response of fine particulate matter pollution to ammonia emission reductions in North China
Environmental impacts of changes to healthier diets in Europe
Air-quality-related health damages of maize
The marker quantification of the Shared Socioeconomic Pathway 2
The Shared Socioeconomic Pathways and their energy, land use, and greenhouse gas emissions implications
Food choices, health and environment
Future air pollution in the Shared Socio-economic Pathways
| Citations per year | 1.5 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2022 - 2026 (5) |
| Highly cited | No |