Date
Monday, November 13, 2023
Time
5:15 PM - 6:45 PM
Name
Effects of Health and Air Visibility Preferences on WTP for Air Pollution Regulations in Canada
Session ID
Poster Presentations
Track
Policy
Steven Conrad
Description

Air pollution can lead to haze that can reduce or obscure visibility and, in some situations, impart health consequences. Research has established that reduced visibility can be associated with reduced citizen well-being along with lost economic and public benefits in areas of outdoor recreation and/or tourism. Reducing pollution through regulations and climate mitigation programs come at a cost to affected industries that often pass down these to consumers. Data on how consumers are willing to pay for that reduction in pollution helps inform business decisions and helps with program adherence. Our presentation will discuss work for Environment and Climate Change Canada on efforts to determine Canadian preferences for noticeable visibility and health improvements associated with air pollution regulations. A discrete choice experiment and survey was conducted to assess the economic value that Canadians’ associate with a noticeable visibility improvement, expressed in monetary willingness-to-pay per household for a 1-unit deciview change. Our presentation will present findings from this study segmented across Canadian demographics – income, education, and location (urban and rural). Findings from this study inform potential pollution mitigation programs and provide an additional cost benefit of emission reduction. The findings from the study are also used to refine the accuracy and representativeness of the economic values associated with visibility in the Air Quality Valuation Model, whose estimates are used in cost-benefit analyses of air pollution regulations in Canada.