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<p>As Morocco experiences rapid socio-economic development, air pollution has become a major public health and environmental concern. This study develops an approach to assess the health and economic benefits of improving ambient air quality, using the COVID-19 lockdown period (March 20 to June 10, 2020) as a natural experiment. During this period, nationwide restrictions led to a significant reduction in pollutant levels, offering a unique opportunity to evaluate potential gains from cleaner air. Using the Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program—Community Edition (BenMAP-CE), along with Moroccan population, health, and economic data, we applied a concentration-response function developed from large-scale cohort studies on PM₂.₅ exposure and mortality risk. Results show that an average nationwide reduction in PM₂.₅ concentrations of 4.7&#xa0;µg/m³ could prevent approximately 187 deaths from ischemic heart disease and 89 deaths from lung cancer annually. The associated economic benefits are estimated at USD 226&#xa0;million (USD 153&#xa0;million for ischemic heart disease and USD 73&#xa0;million for lung cancer). This study introduces the first modeling approach in Morocco for quantifying the health and economic impacts of air quality improvements. The framework can support scenario-based analyses for policy planning and demonstrates the considerable public health and economic value of reducing air pollution.</p>

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Assessing health and economic benefits of ambient air quality improvement: Covid-19 lockdown as a case study

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2025年12月16日

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  • Imane Sekmoudi,
  • Kenza Khomsi,
  • Laila Idrissi,
  • Meryem Tanarhte,
  • Mohamed El jarmouni

摘要

As Morocco experiences rapid socio-economic development, air pollution has become a major public health and environmental concern. This study develops an approach to assess the health and economic benefits of improving ambient air quality, using the COVID-19 lockdown period (March 20 to June 10, 2020) as a natural experiment. During this period, nationwide restrictions led to a significant reduction in pollutant levels, offering a unique opportunity to evaluate potential gains from cleaner air. Using the Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program—Community Edition (BenMAP-CE), along with Moroccan population, health, and economic data, we applied a concentration-response function developed from large-scale cohort studies on PM₂.₅ exposure and mortality risk. Results show that an average nationwide reduction in PM₂.₅ concentrations of 4.7 µg/m³ could prevent approximately 187 deaths from ischemic heart disease and 89 deaths from lung cancer annually. The associated economic benefits are estimated at USD 226 million (USD 153 million for ischemic heart disease and USD 73 million for lung cancer). This study introduces the first modeling approach in Morocco for quantifying the health and economic impacts of air quality improvements. The framework can support scenario-based analyses for policy planning and demonstrates the considerable public health and economic value of reducing air pollution.