Climate and Health: Understanding the Interconnected Challenges of Coupled Human Natural Systems
Restricted (Penn State Only)
- Author:
- Yang, Hui
- Graduate Program:
- Environmental Engineering
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- May 01, 2024
- Committee Members:
- Farshad Rajabipour, Program Head/Chair
Li Li, Major Field Member
Seth Blumsack, Outside Field Member
Wei Peng, Chair & Dissertation Advisor
Jose Fuentes, Outside Unit Member - Keywords:
- air pollution
co-benefits
climate policy
electricity market
health damage
RGGI
developing world
environmental impact
risk factors
coupled human natural systems
climate and health - Abstract:
- Understanding climate and health challenges of coupled human natural systems calls for the need for integrated measures that address multiple aspects of human and environmental health simultaneously. This dissertation evaluates the synergistic effects of climate change mitigation strategies on air quality and public health through an integrated assessment modeling approach. It assesses the impact of global and regional climate mitigation efforts, as well as future socio-demographic trends, particularly focusing on their roles and interactions in future trajectories of greenhouse gas emissions and ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5), and the associated health outcomes. The dissertation is structured around three main objectives. The first assesses the regional impact of Pennsylvania's entry into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), evaluating how regional climate policies can mitigate emissions from major pollutants and reduce health damages associated with air quality degradation. This section highlights the complexities of cross-state emissions leakage and the necessity for careful policy design to maximize health benefits across states. The second study examines how socio-demographic factors like aging populations and changing baseline mortality rates interact with air pollution to shape future global health burdens under varying socio-economic and climate scenarios. This analysis reveals significant variations in PM2.5-related health outcomes across scenarios, emphasizing the critical role of demographic trends in determining health impacts. Lastly, the dissertation explores the concurrent challenges posed by PM2.5 and heat exposure under future climate and socio-economic conditions. Utilizing a health-oriented multi-hazard assessment framework, it projects the spatial and temporal patterns of these exposures, underscoring the disproportionate impacts on lower-income regions and the imperative for integrated policy interventions. Overall, this dissertation demonstrates that while climate mitigation efforts have a clear, beneficial impact on air quality and health, their success is contingent on careful consideration of socio-economic, demographic, and regional dynamics. The findings advocate for a multi-scale integrated modeling approach to policymaking that represents the linkages between climate actions, air quality improvements and health outcomes, thereby supporting the development of resilience in coupled human natural systems in a changing global environment.