An empirical investigation of air pollution from fossil fuel combustion and its impact on health in India during 1973-1974 to 1996-1997

Many air pollution studies examine impacts on global climate warming in the future, but impacts on health of population are more actual and concrete. The aim of this paper is to evaluate air pollution (CO2, SO2, and NOx) from fossil fuel combustion in India. Input-Output Structural Decomposition Analysis approach is used to find out their sources of changes. We also estimate the emissions of CO2, SO2 and NOx for the year 2001-2002 and 2006-2007. A link between emission of pollutants and their impact on human health is finally analysed. The study categorizes the changes in the amount of CO2, SO2 and NOx emissions into four factors: the pollution intensity or eco-efficiency, technology or input-mix, composition of final demand, and the level of final demand. The main factors for these changes were the pollution intensity, technology, and the volume of final demand. Changes in the pollution intensity and technology were in most periods increasing air pollution. These results are quite different to those observed in some other studies. Pollution and health impacts have a close linear relationship and the main factors for the changes are the same as for the pollution. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.