$

The cost of air pollution

Health impacts of road transport
www.oecd.org/env/costofairpollution.htm
The Cost of Air Pollution HEALTH IMPACTS OF ROAD TRANSPORT
ISBN 978-92-64-21042-4
97 2014 03 1 P
The Cost of Air Pollution
HEALTH IMPACTS OF ROAD TRANSPORT
Outdoor air pollution kills more than 3 million people across the world every year, and
causes health problems from asthma to heart disease for many more. This is costing
OECD societies plus China and India an estimated USD 3.5 trillion dollars a year in
terms of the value of lives lost and ill health, and the trend is rising. But how much
of the cost of those deaths and health problems is due to pollution from cars, trucks
and motorcycles on our roads? Initial evidence suggests that in OECD countries, road
transport is likely responsible for about half the USD 1.7 trillion total.
Based on extensive new epidemiological evidence since the 2010 Global Burden of
Disease study, and OECD estimates of the Value of Statistical Life, this report provides
evidence that the health impacts from air pollution are about four times greater than
previously estimated and the economic costs signicantly higher than previously
thought.
Contents
Executive summary
Chapter 1. Dening the economic cost of health impacts
Chapter 2. Reviewing the evidence on and calculating the cost of the health impacts
of air pollution
Chapter 3. Rethinking appraisals to mitigate the health impacts of air pollution
from road transport
The Cost of Air Pollution
HEALTH IMPACTS OF ROAD TRANSPORT
9HSTCQE*cbaece+
Consult this publication on line at http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264210448-en.
This work is published on the OECD iLibrary, which gathers all OECD books, periodicals and
statistical databases.
Visit www.oecd-ilibrary.org for more information.
3.5 MILLION
PEOPLE KILLED A YEAR GLOBALLY BY AIR POLLUTION
*THATS MORE THAN DUE TO POOR SANITATION
50% OF DEATHS
FROM AIR POLLUTION IN OECD CAUSED BY ROAD TRANSPORT
*DIESEL VEHICLES THE BIGGEST CULPRIT
US$ 1.7 TRILLION
IS WHAT AIR POLLUTION COSTS OECD A YEAR
= ALMOST THE SIZE OF THE CANADIAN ECONOMY