New MIT Study Makes the Health Case for Climate Solutions That Much Stronger

ecoAmerica research indicates that emphasizing the benefits of acting on climate is critical to building support for solutions. New research from MIT recently featured by Greenwire may make that just a little bit easier. MIT researchers found that the health benefits of common climate policies offset between 26 and 1,050 percent of their cost. The study, published Sunday in the journal Nature Climate Change, analyzed three types of climate policies: a cap and trade policy, a clean-energy standard similar to the EPA’s new Clean Power Plan, and a transportation policy.
 
The cap and trade policy came out on top: the researchers estimated that the dollar savings from such a policy would equal more than 10 times the $14 billion cost. They key factor driving these savings is the fact that policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions also end up reducing the amount of ozone and particulate matter in the air, which can cause a range of health problems, including asthma attacks and heart and lung disease. 
 

Health Benefits Offset Costs of Climate Policies — MIT Study

Amanda Peterka, E&E reporter
 
Savings due to avoided health problems help offset — and in some cases greatly outweigh — the costs of carbon dioxide-cutting policies in the United States, according to a new study.
 
The study, led by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, found that health benefits offset between 26 and 1,050 percent of the cost of greenhouse gas reduction policies. The study examined three different types of climate policies: a clean-energy standard, a transportation policy targeting on-road vehicles and a cap-and-trade program.
 
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Image: Wikimedia Commons