Co-benefits of climate mitigation and health protection in energy systems: scoping methods.
Interventions in the energy sector offer significant opportunities for reducing both greenhouse and other health-damaging pollution, resulting in what are called "co-benefits." The health community plays a critical role in evaluating such interventions to optimize progress of both sorts because both affect health. In detail, analyses require sophisticated modeling and specific local information. As a starting point, however, we offer here a set of scoping methods for obtaining a quick assessment of these co-benefits for interventions in the energy sector, the arena with the highest potential for significant co-benefits. Thus we combine relevant methods developed separately in recent years for cost-effectiveness assessments in the climate change, health, and development communities. We offer sample calculations, which illustrate the apparent high degree of co-benefit effectiveness for targeted interventions in the household energy sector in developing countries.
Smith
Kirk R
KR
Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360, USA. krksmith@berkeley.edu
Haigler
Evan
E
D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003246:Conservation of Energy Resources / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003906:Developing Countries; D004782:Environmental Health; D017752:Greenhouse Effect; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D014480:United Nations