Valuation of major environmental-health externalities caused by air pollution from electricity generation : the case of Thailand | |
| Author | Bui Duy Thanh |
| Call Number | AIT Diss. no. ET-00-01 |
| Subject(s) | Air--Pollution--Thailand Electric power-plants--Environmental aspects--Thailand |
| Note | A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Engineering,School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Dissertation ; no. ET-00-01 |
| Abstract | This study aims to assess quantitatively (in physical and monetary terms) major health impacts on the Thai population caused by particulate matter (PM10) and sulfur dioxide (S02) emissions from the fossil fuel based electricity generation in Thailand. Toward this goal, an analytical tool called the Analytical Framework for Thailand (AFT) has been developed. The AFT follows a general methodology of the Impact Pathway Approach (also known as the Damage Function Approach) in estimating environmental health impacts of air pollution with necessary adaptations of this methodology to the specific conditions of Thailand, e.g., meteorology, epidemiology, population, and also individual preferences to some extent. Two air dispersal models have been adapted for the estimation of the pollutant concentrations over the ranges of receptors. Within the local range, the Industrial Source Complex model is selected. Moreover, a validation of this model has been performed by comparing the actual monitoring S02 concentrations with the model outputs. At the regional range, a version of the Sector average Limited Mixing Mesoscale Model (SLIM3) called SLIM3-TL, has been created. SLIM3-TL incorporates Thai climatological conditions (by mean of the stability array input file - STAR) with physio-chemical processes such as wet/dry deposition, chemical conversion of primary into secondary pollutants (by mean of a set of constant coefficients). The two models have been checked for comparability in the domain where the transition from one model to another takes place. The AFT uses the actual Exposure — Response functions, which has been established for the population of Thailand, to estimate the level of physical impacts. Monetary valuation of health impacts is based on a benefit transfer method proposed in this study. A Beta distribution method is used to propagate the uncertainties of the results of the valuation in this study. Subsequently, the AFT has been applied to estimate health effects of particulates and sulfur dioxide emissions from several power plants with different technologies and locations in Thailand. The results of AFT applications in Thailand show consistently that the external health damage costs depend on factors such as the locations of power plants, the distribution of the populations, the emission strength, the parameters of stack and exhaust gas, the meteorological conditions and the sensibility of the populations toward pollution, and the Willingness To Pay (WTP) to avoid suffering an adverse health effect. The study also proposed and demonstrated several uses of the results of health impact assessments using AFT for policy-making in the Thai power sector. A simple but effective way to internalize the health costs is to mandate a quantitative assessment of health impacts in Environmental Impact Assessment, which precedes the selection of new power projects. The quantitative assessment of health impacts is very useful for cost-benefit analysis of pollution abatement measures to be implemented in new power plants. Looking from a system point of view, a system-wide assessment of health externalities can be performed to evaluate the level of health impacts associated with a given development plan of the power system. The formulation of the AFT in this study bears two distinctive features. First, while following closely the general methodology of IPA, the AFT incorporates the specific conditions of Thailand such as meteorology, demography and epidemiology — the essential inputs of health impact assessments — to ensure that results are reliable. Second, it contributes to the further application of the IPA methodology in developing countries by demonstrating the use of benefit transfer to overcome the lack of input data, the difficulty that developing countries often have to solve. The main elements of the analytical framework formulated in this study for Thailand can be applied to other developing countries. This study is the first systematic application of IPA in a developing country, which combines country specific conditions with benefit transfer in one coherent analytical framework. |
| Year | 2000 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Dissertation ; no. ET-00-01 |
| Type | Dissertation |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Energy and Climate Change (Former title: Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change (DEECC)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Energy Technology (ET) |
| Chairperson(s) | Lefevre, T.; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Shrestha, R. M. ;Amin, A. T. M. Nurul ;Do Ba Khang ;Pacudan, R. b. ;N. Vichit-Vadakarn;Rowe, Robert D.; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | The Government of France; |
| Degree | Thesis (Ph.D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2000 |