Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Interactions of Climate Change, Air Pollution, and Human Health

  • Climate Change and Health (J Semenza, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Environmental Health Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

I review literature on the impacts of climate change on air quality and human health, with a focus on articles published from 2013 on ozone and airborne particles. Selected previous literature is discussed where relevant in tracing the origins of our current knowledge.

Recent Findings

Climate and weather have strong influences on the spatial and temporal distribution of air pollution concentrations. Emissions of ozone and PM2.5 precursors increase at higher ambient temperatures. The reactions that form ozone occur faster with greater sunlight and higher temperatures. Weather systems influence the movement and dispersion of air pollutants in the atmosphere through the action of winds, vertical mixing, and precipitation, all of which are likely to alter in a changing climate. Recent studies indicate that, holding anthropogenic air pollution emissions constant, ozone concentrations in populated regions will tend to increase in future climate scenarios. For the USA, the climate impact on ozone is most consistently seen in north-central and north-eastern states, with the potential for many thousands of additional ozone-related deaths. The sensitivity of anthropogenic PM2.5 to climate is more variable across studies and regions, owing to the varied nature of PM constituents, as well as to less complete characterization of PM reaction chemistry in available atmospheric models. However, PM emitted by wildland fires is likely to become an increasing health risk in many parts of the world as climate continues to change.

Summary

The complex interactions between climate change and air quality imply that future policies to mitigate these twin challenges will benefit from greater coordination. Assessing the health implications of alternative policy approaches towards climate and pollution mitigation will be a critical area of future work.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance

  1. Fiore AM, Naik V, Leibensperger EM. Air quality and climate connections. J Air Waste Manage Assoc. 2015;65(6):645–85. https://doi.org/10.1080/10962247.2015.1040526.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Kinney PL. Climate change, air quality, and human health. Am J Prev Med. 2008;35(5):459–67.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Watts N, Adger WN, Agnolucci P, Blackstock A, Byass P, Cai WJ, et al. Health and climate change: policy responses to protect public health. Lancet. 2015;386(10006):1861–914. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60854-6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Prospero JM, Lamb PJ. African droughts and dust transport to the Caribbean: climate change implications. Science. 2003;302(5647):1024–7. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1089915.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Sapkota A, Symons JM, Kleissl J, Wang L, Parlange MB, Ondov J, et al. Impact of the 2002 Canadian forest fires on particulate matter air quality in Baltimore city. Environ Sci Technol. 2005;39(1):24–32. https://doi.org/10.1021/es035311z.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Cohen AJ, Brauer M, Burnett R, Anderson HR, Frostad J, Estep K, et al. Estimates and 25-year trends of the global burden of disease attributable to ambient air pollution: an analysis of data from the global burden of diseases study 2015. Lancet. 2017;389(10082):1907–18. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)30505-6.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  7. Post ES, Grambsch A, Weaver C, Morefield P, Huang J, Leung LY, et al. Variation in estimated ozone-related health impacts of climate change due to modeling choices and assumptions. Environ Health Perspect. 2012;120(11):1559–64. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1104271.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  8. Nakićenović N, Alcamo J, Davis G, de Vries B, Fenhann J, Gaffin S, et al. IPCC special report on emissions scenarios (SRES), working group III, intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2000. p. 595.

  9. van Vuuren DP, Edmonds JA, Kainuma M, Riahi K, Weyant J. A special issue on the RCPs. Clim Chang. 2011;109(1–2):1–4. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-011-0157-y.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Knowlton K, Rosenthal J, Hogrefe C, Lynn B, Gaffin S, Goldberg R, et al. Assessing ozone-related health impacts under a changing climate. Environ Health Perspect. 2004;112(15):1557–63. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.7163.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  11. Russell GL, Miller JR, Rind D. A coupled atmosphere-ocean model for transient climate change studies. Atmosphere-Ocean. 1995;33(4):683–730. https://doi.org/10.1080/07055900.1995.9649550.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Grell GA, Dudhia J, Stauffer DR. A description of the fifth-generation Penn State/NCAR mesoscale model (MM5). NCAR Technical Note, NCAR/TN-398+STR. Boulder: National Center for Atmospheric Research; 1994. p. 122.

  13. Byun DW, Ching JKS, Novak J, Young J. In: Gryning SE, Chaumerliac N, editors. Development and implementation of the EPA’s models-3 initial operating version: Community multi-scale air quality (CMAQ) model. New York: Plenum Press Div Plenum Publishing Corp; 1998. p. 357–68.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Hogrefe C, Lynn B, Civerolo K, Ku J, Rosenthal J, Rosenzweig C, et al. Simulating changes in regional air pollution over the eastern United States due to changes in global and regional climate and emissions. J Geophys Res-Atmos. 2004;109(D22):D22301. https://doi.org/10.1029/2004JD004690.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. • Fann N, Nolte CG, Dolwick P, Spero TL, Brown AC, Phillips S, et al. The geographic distribution and economic value of climate change-related ozone health impacts in the United States in 2030. J Air Waste Manage Assoc. 2015;65(5):570–80. This paper comprehensive quantifies health and economic impacts of climate change on future ozone in the US.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. USGCRP. The impacts of climate change on human health in the United States: a scientific assessment. Washington: DC; 2016.

    Google Scholar 

  17. • Wilson A, Reich BJ, Nolte CG, Spero TL, Hubbell B, Rappold AG. Climate change impacts on projections of excess mortality at 2030 using spatially varying ozone-temperature risk surfaces. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2017;27(1):118–24. This paper suggests that high temperatures may enhance the health effects of future climate-induced increases in ozone concentrations.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Garcia-Menendez F, Saari RK, Monier E, Selin NE. US air quality and health benefits from avoided climate change under greenhouse gas mitigation. Environ Sci Technol. 2015;49(13):7580–8. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5b01324.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Lee Y, Shindell DT, Faluvegi G, Pinder RW. Potential impact of a US climate policy and air quality regulations on future air quality and climate change. Atmos Chem Phys. 2016;16(8):5323–42. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-5323-2016.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Trail M, Tsimpidi AP, Liu P, Tsigaridis K, Rudokas J, Miller P, et al. Sensitivity of air quality to potential future climate change and emissions in the United States and major cities. Atmos Environ. 2014;94:552–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2014.05.079.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Fang YY, Mauzerall DL, Liu JF, Fiore AM, Horowitz LW. Impacts of 21st century climate change on global air pollution-related premature mortality. Clim Chang. 2013;121(2):239–53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-013-0847-8.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Orru H, Andersson C, Ebi KL, Langner J, Astrom C, Forsberg B. Impact of climate change on ozone-related mortality and morbidity in Europe. Eur Respir J. 2013;41(2):285–94. https://doi.org/10.1183/09031936.00210411.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Lacressonniere G, Foret G, Beekmann M, Siour G, Engardt M, Gauss M, et al. Impacts of regional climate change on air quality projections and associated uncertainties. Clim Chang. 2016;136(2):309–24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-016-1619-z.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Lacressonniere G, Peuch VH, Vautard R, Arteta J, Deque M, Joly M, et al. European air quality in the 2030s and 2050s: impacts of global and regional emission trends and of climate change. Atmos Environ. 2014;92:348–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2014.04.033.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Jimenez-Guerrero P, Gomez-Navarro JJ, Baro R, Lorente R, Ratola N, Montavez JP. Is there a common pattern of future gas-phase air pollution in Europe under diverse climate change scenarios? Clim Chang. 2013;121(4):661–71. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-013-0944-8.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Silva RA, West JJ, Zhang YQ, Anenberg SC, Lamarque JF, Shindell DT, et al. Global premature mortality due to anthropogenic outdoor air pollution and the contribution of past climate change. Environ Res Lett. 2013;8(3):11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Fang Y, Mauzerall DL, Liu J, Fiore AM, Horowitz LW. Impacts of 21st century climate change on global air pollution-related premature mortality. Clim Chang. 2013;121(2):239–53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-013-0847-8.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Liu JC, Mickley LJ, Sulprizio MP, Yue X, Peng RD, Dominici F, et al. Future respiratory hospital admissions from wildfire smoke under climate change in the Western US. Environ Res Lett. 2016;11(12):6.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Jolly WM, Cochrane MA, Freeborn PH, Holden ZA, Brown TJ, Williamson GJ, et al. Climate-induced variations in global wildfire danger from 1979 to 2013. Nat Commun. 2015;6:11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Anenberg S, Weinberger KR, Roman H, Neumann JE, Crimmins A, Fann N, et al. Impacts of oak pollen on allergic asthma in the USA and potential effect of future climate change: a modelling analysis. Lancet. 2017;389:2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Bell ML, Goldberg R, Hogrefe C, Kinney PL, Knowlton K, Lynn B, et al. Climate change, ambient ozone, and health in 50 US cities. Clim Chang. 2007;82(1–2):61–76. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-006-9166-7.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Melamed ML, Schmale J, von Schneidemesser E. Sustainable policy-key considerations for air quality and climate change. Curr Opin Environ Sustain. 2016;23:85–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2016.12.003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Maione M, Fowler D, Monks PS, Reis S, Rudich Y, Williams ML, et al. Air quality and climate change: designing new win-win policies for Europe. Environ Sci Pol. 2016;65:48–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2016.03.011.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Pettersen MV, Fleck F. Bringing air pollution into the climate change equation. Bull World Health Organ. 2014;92(8):553–4. https://doi.org/10.2471/BLT.14.030814.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Hassan NA, Hashim Z, Hashim JH. Impact of climate change on air quality and public health in urban areas. Asia Pac J Public Health. 2016;28(2_suppl):38S–48S. https://doi.org/10.1177/1010539515592951.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Klausbruckner C, Annegarn H, Henneman LRF, Rafaj P. A policy review of synergies and trade-offs in South African climate change mitigation and air pollution control strategies. Environ Sci Pol. 2016;57:70–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2015.12.001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Perera FP. Multiple threats to child health from fossil fuel combustion: impacts of air pollution and climate change. Environ Health Perspect. 2017;125(2):141–8.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  38. Kelly FJ. Twin problems of climate change and air pollution. Br Med J. 2016;355:2.

    Google Scholar 

  39. De Sario M, Katsouyanni K, Michelozzi P. Climate change, extreme weather events, air pollution and respiratory health in Europe. Eur Respir J. 2013;42(3):826–43. https://doi.org/10.1183/09031936.00074712.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  40. Rao S, Pachauri S, Dentener F, Kinney P, Klimont Z, Riahi K, et al. Better air for better health: forging synergies in policies for energy access, climate change and air pollution. Glob Environ Change Human Policy Dimens. 2013;23(5):1122–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2013.05.003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Erickson LE, Jennings M. Energy, transportation, air quality, climate change, health nexus: sustainable energy is good for our health. AIMS Public Health. 2017;4(1):47–61. https://doi.org/10.3934/publichealth.2017.1.47.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Schmale J, von Schneidemesser E, Chabay I, Maas A, Lawrence MG. In: Drake JL, Kontar YY, Eichelberger JC, Rupp TS, Taylor KM, editors. Building interfaces that work: a multi-stakeholder approach to air pollution and climate change mitigation. Dordrecht: Springer; 2016. p. 65–76.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany Street, Talbot 4W, Boston, MA, 02118, USA

    Patrick L. Kinney

Authors
  1. Patrick L. Kinney
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Patrick L. Kinney.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

Patrick L. Kinney declares that he has no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

Additional information

This article is part of the Topical Collection on Climate Change and Health

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Kinney, P.L. Interactions of Climate Change, Air Pollution, and Human Health. Curr Envir Health Rpt 5, 179–186 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40572-018-0188-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40572-018-0188-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation