PM2.5 and ozone pollution-related health challenges in Japan with regards to climate change.

[Display omitted] • Japan will face heavy health burden due to aging society in the future. • Climate change mitigation could bring significant health co-benefit in Japan. • Ozone concentration reduction will contribute most benefits for public health. The degradation of air quality, an environmental consequence of anthropogenic activities, poses a challenge to human health. However, the corresponding control measures incur additional costs. This study presents an analysis of the health and socioeconomic benefits of air quality control measures and climate change mitigation. Multidisciplinary modelling was used for PM 2.5 and ozone distribution to analyze the co-benefits of end-of-pipe measures and electrification as well as their period-specific impacts on human health and the economy. The results indicated that the long-term impacts of end-of-pipe technologies and electrification in Japan's residential, building, and transportation sectors could reduce premature deaths, caused by PM 2.5 and ozone pollution, by 65,500 annually from 2010 to 2050. These technologies could save a per capita work hour loss of 3.64 h and avoid an economic loss of 5.43 billion USD by 2050. This study predicted climate actions would enable western Japan to benefit from PM 2.5 control measures, whereas the entire country would benefit from ozone pollution reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]