Cleaner fuels for ships provide public health benefits with climate tradeoffs.

The authors evaluate public health and climate impacts of low-sulphur fuels in global shipping. Using high-resolution emissions inventories, integrated atmospheric models, and health risk functions, the authors assess ship-related PM₂.₅ pollution impacts in 2020 with and without the use of low-sulphur fuels. Cleaner marine fuels will reduce ship-related premature mortality and morbidity by 34 and 54%, respectively, representing a ~2.6% global reduction in PM₂.₅ cardiovascular and lung cancer deaths and a ~3.6% global reduction in childhood asthma. Despite these reductions, low-sulphur marine fuels will still account for ~250k deaths and ~6.4M childhood asthma cases annually, and more stringent standards beyond 2020 may provide additional health benefits. Lower sulphur fuels also reduce radiative cooling from ship aerosols by ~80%, equating to a ~3% increase in current estimates of total anthropogenic forcing. Therefore, stronger international shipping policies may need to achieve climate and health targets by jointly reducing greenhouse gases and air pollution.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-017-02774-9
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/20411723
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2017 Mikhail Sofiev et al.
• Authors:
  • Sofiev, Mikhail
  • Winebrake, James J
  • Johansson, Lasse
  • Carr, Edward W
  • Prank, Marje
  • Soares, Joana
  • Vira, Julius
  • Kouznetsov, Rostislav
  • Jalkanen, Jukka-Pekka
  • Corbett, James J
• Publication Date: 2018

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 406
• Serial:
  • Nature Communications
  • Volume: 9
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
  • ISSN: 2041-1723
  • Serial URL: http://www.nature.com/ncomms/index.html

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air pollution; Clean fuels; Environmental impacts; Greenhouse gases; Particulates; Public health; Ships
• Subject Areas: Energy; Environment; Marine Transportation; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01666045
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 13 2018 5:13PM