Achieving carbon neutral development will involve a roughly 40-year-long
structural transformation, especially in developing and emerging
economies, where most people exposed to poor air quality live. In the
meantime, 6+"7 million people die each year by breathing polluted air.
But does climate action always lead to better air quality? Likewise, do
air pollution policies always lead to cooler climate? The answers are
not always clear. For example, while short-lived climate pollutants
contribute to air pollution, some important air pollutants cool the
climate with equal countervailing force. Retrofitting coal-fired power
plants with modern air pollution filters can quickly reduce most air
pollution but slightly increases carbon emissions. In the absence of
effective carbon pricing, this can also lock in carbon-intensive
installations for decades. On the other hand, putting a price on carbon
in the absence of effective air quality policies can encourage firms to
switch off air pollution filters. Carbon pricing can also push
lower-income households to use biomass and waste instead of gas,
electricity, or district heating for cooking and heating, increasing
population exposure to air pollution. These tensions do not justify
inaction on any of these major market failures. But neither of these
environmental problems can be solved effectively by pursuing one-sided
environmental policy. This report brings much needed realism to climate
and air pollution debate. It analyzes international experience to
identify effective pathways to coherent policy packages that harness
synergies and manage inevitable tensions between climate mitigation and
air-quality management. It helps decision makers prioritize pollutants
and emission sources and implement regulations that will encourage
economic actors to implement technical and behavioral measures in a way
that quickly saves people's lives while navigating the longer journey to
a low-carbon future.
