The Italian National Air Pollution Control Programme: Air Quality, Health Impact and Cost Assessment

Abstract

Air pollution is the primary environmental cause of death globally. To improve air quality and reduce health impacts, the National Emission Ceilings Directive requires Member States of the European Union to provide National Air Pollution Control Programmes, including emission reduction measures aimed to achieve binding commitments for the years 2020 and 2030. Integrated assessment models are pivotal to assess the reduction of pollutants concentrations determined by measures implemented or foreseen for emission reduction. Here we discuss scenarios elaborated for year 2030 in the Italian National Air Pollution Control Programme, considering 2010 as reference year. The two scenarios, “With Measures” and “With Additional Measures”, show a significant reduction of the pollutants concentration, namely PM2.5, NO2 and O3. The scenarios are here also used to provide an integrated approach for calculating the effect of the program on health impacts (mortality) and related costs. Avoidable attributable cases and associated costs are here reported at both the national and regional level and provide a significant framework to assess air-pollution reduction measures with an integrated approach. The procedure proposed may be therefore further developed and applied to assess the overall positive benefits (environmental, health and economic) determined by air-pollution control plans or other integrated policies targeting air quality, energy and climate goals.

A Cost Allocation Decision Model for Air Pollution Control

“…By determining the key areas of four regions, key areas of air pollution control were identified, providing practical guidance and theoretical basis for regional joint control of air pollution. Piersanti et al discussed the scenarios developed for 2030 in Italy's National Air Pollution Control Programme, using 2010 as the reference year, and also used these scenarios to provide a comprehensive approach to calculating the impact of the plan on health effects (mortality) and associated costs, providing an important framework and assessing measures to reduce air pollution with an integrated approach [ 10 ]. Ikeuchi et al proposed that health risks caused by PM2.5 would increase with the decrease of precipitation duration and incidence [ 11 ].…”

Implementation of an On-Line Reactive Source Apportionment (ORSA) Algorithm in the FARM Chemical-Transport Model and Application over Multiple Domains in Italy

“…PM10 is a pollutant that has a high impact on human health and, therefore, its investigations are relevant for developing efficient air quality management plans. In Italy, to which the applications shown here refer, 49,900 premature deaths were attributed to fine particulate matter in 2019 [49] and nearly 37,000 are estimated for 2030 [50]. O 3 was also evaluated, as it is of primary concern for nowadays for the impact on ecosystems, namely in Mediterranean countries [51], and it will be difficult to abate in the near future, also due to rising temperatures implied by climate change [52].…”

Potential Impacts of Green Infrastructure on NOx and PM10 in Different Local Climate Zones of Brindisi, Italy

“…Italy, with 71% of its population residing in urban areas, faces significant air quality challenges, particularly in cities like Brindisi, where pollution levels are notably high [20]. Policy changes aimed at mitigating air pollution have shown promise, particularly when targeting sectors beyond transportation [21]. Green infrastructure initiatives in Italian cities have demonstrated positive impacts on air quality and economic benefits, including reductions in PM 10 and O 3 levels and substantial savings [22].…”