Costs and health benefits of the rural energy transition to carbon neutrality in China
Abstract The rural energy transition is critical in China’s efforts to achieve carbon neutrality and improve air quality. However, the costs and health benefits associated with the transition to carbon neutrality remain unclear. Here we explore the cost-effective transition pathways and air quality-...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-41707-7 |
| _version_ | 1797557846917775360 |
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| author | Teng Ma Silu Zhang Yilong Xiao Xiaorui Liu Minghao Wang Kai Wu Guofeng Shen Chen Huang Yan Ru Fang Yang Xie |
| author_facet | Teng Ma Silu Zhang Yilong Xiao Xiaorui Liu Minghao Wang Kai Wu Guofeng Shen Chen Huang Yan Ru Fang Yang Xie |
| author_sort | Teng Ma |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The rural energy transition is critical in China’s efforts to achieve carbon neutrality and improve air quality. However, the costs and health benefits associated with the transition to carbon neutrality remain unclear. Here we explore the cost-effective transition pathways and air quality-related health impacts using an integrated energy-air quality-health modeling framework. We find that decarbonizing rural cooking and heating would triple contemporary energy consumption from 2014 to 2060, considerably reducing energy poverty nationwide. By 2060, electric cooking ranges and air-to-air heat pumps should be widely integrated, costing an additional 13 billion USD nationally in transformation costs, with ~40% concentrated in Shandong, Heilongjiang, Shanxi and Hebei provinces. Rural residential decarbonization would remarkably improve air quality in northern China, yielding substantial health co-benefits. Notably, monetized health benefits in most provinces are projected to offset transformation costs, except for certain relatively lower-development southwestern provinces, implying more financial support for rural residents in these areas will be needed. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T17:22:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0565f74994d547ed8cf0fdc3232c6219 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T17:22:03Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj.art-0565f74994d547ed8cf0fdc3232c62192023-11-20T10:17:09ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232023-09-0114111110.1038/s41467-023-41707-7Costs and health benefits of the rural energy transition to carbon neutrality in ChinaTeng Ma0Silu Zhang1Yilong Xiao2Xiaorui Liu3Minghao Wang4Kai Wu5Guofeng Shen6Chen Huang7Yan Ru Fang8Yang Xie9College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking UniversityCollege of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking UniversityCollege of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking UniversityCollege of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking UniversitySchool of Economics and Management, Beihang UniversityCollege of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking UniversityCollege of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, Peking UniversityCollege of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking UniversityCollege of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking UniversitySchool of Economics and Management, Beihang UniversityAbstract The rural energy transition is critical in China’s efforts to achieve carbon neutrality and improve air quality. However, the costs and health benefits associated with the transition to carbon neutrality remain unclear. Here we explore the cost-effective transition pathways and air quality-related health impacts using an integrated energy-air quality-health modeling framework. We find that decarbonizing rural cooking and heating would triple contemporary energy consumption from 2014 to 2060, considerably reducing energy poverty nationwide. By 2060, electric cooking ranges and air-to-air heat pumps should be widely integrated, costing an additional 13 billion USD nationally in transformation costs, with ~40% concentrated in Shandong, Heilongjiang, Shanxi and Hebei provinces. Rural residential decarbonization would remarkably improve air quality in northern China, yielding substantial health co-benefits. Notably, monetized health benefits in most provinces are projected to offset transformation costs, except for certain relatively lower-development southwestern provinces, implying more financial support for rural residents in these areas will be needed.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-41707-7 |
| spellingShingle | Teng Ma Silu Zhang Yilong Xiao Xiaorui Liu Minghao Wang Kai Wu Guofeng Shen Chen Huang Yan Ru Fang Yang Xie Costs and health benefits of the rural energy transition to carbon neutrality in China Nature Communications |
| title | Costs and health benefits of the rural energy transition to carbon neutrality in China |
| title_full | Costs and health benefits of the rural energy transition to carbon neutrality in China |
| title_fullStr | Costs and health benefits of the rural energy transition to carbon neutrality in China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Costs and health benefits of the rural energy transition to carbon neutrality in China |
| title_short | Costs and health benefits of the rural energy transition to carbon neutrality in China |
| title_sort | costs and health benefits of the rural energy transition to carbon neutrality in china |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-41707-7 |
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