Abstract:

Exhaust from vehicles is a major source of outdoor air pollution worldwide. This study links state-of-the-art vehicle emissions, air pollution, and epidemiological models to estimate the impacts of transportation sector emissions on ambient PM2.5 and ozone and associated health impacts in 2010 and 2015. It provides a detailed picture of the global, regional, and local health impacts attributable to emissions from four transportation subsectors: on-road diesel vehicles, other on-road vehicles, shipping, and non-road mobile engines such as agricultural and construction equipment. The study links vehicle tailpipe emissions to ~361,000 premature deaths from ambient PM2.5 and ozone worldwide in 2010 and ~385,000 in 2015, equivalent to 11.7% of global ambient PM2.5 and ozone premature deaths in 2010 and 11.4% in 2015. An estimated 84% of global transportation-attributable deaths occurred in G20 countries, and 70% occurred in the four largest vehicle markets in 2015: China, India, the European Union, and the United States. Exhaust from on-road diesel vehicles was responsible for nearly half of the impacts (~181,000 premature deaths) worldwide, and fully two-thirds in India, France, Germany, and Italy. Together, PM2.5 and ozone concentrations from transportation emissions resulted in 7.8 million years of life lost and approximately $1 trillion (2015 US$) in health damages globally in 2015.