Climate Policy Reduces\nRacial Disparities in Air Pollution\nfrom Transportation and Power Generation

Energy system optimization models facilitate analyses\non a national\nor regional scale. However, understanding the impacts of climate policy\non specific populations requires a much higher spatial resolution.\nHere, we link an energy system optimization model to an integrated\nassessment model via an emission downscaling algorithm, translating\nair pollution emissions from nine U.S. regions to U.S. counties. We\nsimulate the impacts of six distinct policy scenarios, including a\ncurrent policy and a 2050 net-zero target, on NO<sub><i>x</i></sub>, SO<sub>2</sub>, and PM<sub>2.5</sub> emissions from on-road\ntransportation and electricity generation. We compare different policies\nbased on their ability to reduce emission exposure and exposure disparity\nacross racial groups, allowing decision-makers to assess the air pollution\nimpacts of various policy instruments more holistically. Modeled policies\ninclude a clean electricity standard, an on-road ICE vehicle ban,\na carbon tax, and a scenario that reaches net-zero GHG emissions by\n2050. While exposure and disparities decrease in all scenarios, our\nresults reveal persistent disparities until at least 2040, particularly\nfor Black non-Hispanic Americans. Our estimates of avoided deaths\ndue to air pollution emphasize the importance of policy timing, showing\nthat thousands of lives can be saved by taking action in the near-term.