CO₂ Rule Could Save Thousands Of Lives

Implementation of EPA’s pending rule to cut carbon dioxide from power plants could prevent some 3,500 deaths by 2020 and would lead to greater health benefits than a simple tax on CO₂, air quality researchers say. In their study, they examined three possible ways to reduce CO₂ emissions and analyzed them with computer modeling. They concluded that the method most resembling EPA’s pending regulation would prevent the most heart attacks, premature deaths, and emergency room visits for respiratory ailments (Nat. Clim. Change 2015, DOI: 10.1038/nclimate2598). That’s because it would, in addition to cutting CO₂, reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulates, and mercury. The researchers hail from Syracuse University, Boston University, Harvard University, and the think tank Resources for the Future.