The impacts of air pollution on human and natural capital in China: A look from a provincial perspective

Air quality has a significant impact on human health and natural systems worldwide. China, as one of the largest developing countries, faces very much serious air pollution and requires much attention. While the influences of air pollution on human or nature have been extensively investigated, few scholars considered the two effects of air pollution on human health and nature simultaneously based on the same framework. Indeed, human and nature coexist in the same biosphere on which they depend for their development and the impacts of air pollution on human health and nature occur at the same time with different and synergic effects. Only by considering both impacts we can develop a more comprehensive understanding of air pollution impacts, in particular including SO2, NO2, CO, PM10 and PM2.5. Impacts can be looked at from the point of view of damage provided and damage repair (health recovery, replacement cost). Therefore, considering the different pollutants and sectors, the influences of air pollution on human health and nature are accounted for in this study by applying the Emergy Accounting and Life Cycle Assessment Eco-indicator 99 methods under a unified framework in 31 provinces of China taken as case study. While LCA provides an accurate assessment of the direct consequences of pollution on human and natural capital (human health and biodiversity losses), the Emergy Accounting approach quantifies the biosphere work associated to repair or replace such losses over time. Furthermore, the spatial agglomeration characteristics of emissions, human and natural capital losses analyzed by means of Moran’s I index. Results show that: (1) Concerning human capital losses, the amount of emissions of PM10 and PM2.5 only account for 10% of total impacts, compared to SO2, NO2, and CO emissions, but in some provinces cause more than 70% of human capital losses. And more than 80% of PM2.5 and PM10 that cause human capital losses come from the industrial and civil sectors. (2) As far as natural capital losses are concerned, compared with SO2, the losses caused by NO2 account for 80% in most provinces. And the power, industrial and transportation sectors are the three major sources of NO2 causing natural capital losses. (3) The spatial agglomeration characteristics, such as high-high cluster, high-low cluster, low-low cluster and low–high cluster, are different for air pollution emissions, human and natural capital losses. A comprehensive and detailed understanding of the impacts of air pollution is crucial for policy makers to take informed decisions.