Towards a low-carbon and beautiful world: assessing the impact of digital technology on the common benefits of pollution reduction and carbon reduction.

When ecology thrives, civilization thrives, and when ecology declines, civilization declines. Based on panel data from 30 provinces in China from 2000 to 2021, this study used marginal abatement costs to estimate the co-benefits of pollution reduction and carbon reduction. Two-way fixed effect and two-stage intermediary effect models were used to evaluate the impact of digital technology on co-benefits and its indirect channels. The results indicated that China's total carbon emissions maintained a steady growth trend, while air pollution showed a fluctuating declining trend. Reaching peak carbon neutrality calls for more innovative solutions. Under joint emission reduction efforts, the study revealed marginal abatement cost savings of 535.8 million yuan/million tons and 6216.5 million yuan/µg/m3 for carbon reduction and pollution reduction, respectively. Most importantly, the study confirmed that joint emission reduction programs can reduce environmental governance costs more than individual emission reductions can, and the co-benefits increased from 37.983 to 44.757. The co-benefits generally showed a trend of fluctuation and increases and had the characteristics of phased transformation. Intragroup differences and cross-overlapping between regions made regional differences in co-benefits obvious. The subversive, permeable, and integrated features of digital technology have resulted in the all-around transformation of the economy and society, and the new technology-economy paradigm has significantly improved co-benefits. The conclusion remains valid after robustness testing and controlling for endogeneity problems. The results of the mechanism analysis suggest that digital technology can indirectly improve synergies through the intermediary channels of fostering green technology innovation, reducing energy consumption intensity and improving the energy structure.

Global health costs of ambient PM2·5 from combustion sources: a modelling study supporting air pollution control strategies.

BACKGROUND: Climate actions targeting combustion sources can generate large ancillary health benefits via associated air-quality improvements. Therefore, understanding the health costs associated with ambient fine particulate matter (PM2·5) from combustion sources can guide policy design for both air pollution and climate mitigation efforts. METHODS: In this modelling study, we estimated the health costs attributable to ambient PM2·5 from six major combustion sources across 204 countries using updated concentration-response models and an age-adjusted valuation method. We defined major combustion sources as the sum of total coal, liquid fuel and natural gas, solid biofuel, agricultural waste burning, other fires, and 50% of the anthropogenic fugitive, combustion, and industrial dust source. FINDINGS: Global long-term exposure to ambient PM2·5 from combustion sources imposed US$1·1 (95% uncertainty interval 0·8-1·5) trillion in health costs in 2019, accounting for 56% of the total health costs from all PM2·5 sources. Comparing source contributions to PM2·5 concentrations and health costs, we observed a higher share of health costs from combustion sources compared to their contribution to population-weighted PM2·5 concentration across 134 countries, accounting for more than 87% of the global population. This disparity was primarily attributed to the non-linear relationship between PM2·5 concentration and its associated health costs. Globally, phasing out fossil fuels can generate 23% higher relative health benefits compared to their share of PM2·5 reductions. Specifically, the share of health costs for total coal was 36% higher than the source's contributions to corresponding PM2·5 concentrations and the share of health costs for liquid fuel and natural gas was 12% higher. Other than fossil fuels, South Asia was expected to show 16% greater relative health benefits than the percentage reduction in PM2·5 from the abatement of solid biofuel emissions. INTERPRETATION: In most countries, targeting combustion sources might offer greater health benefits than non-combustion sources. This finding provides additional rationale for climate actions aimed at phasing out combustion sources, especially those related to fossil fuels and solid biofuel. Mitigation efforts designed according to source-specific health costs can more effectively avoid health costs than strategies that depend solely on the source contributions to overall PM2·5 concentration. FUNDING: The Health Effects Institute, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and NASA.

Climate Change and Health: Public Health and Legal Strategies to Reduce Reliance on Fossil Fuels, Increase Air Quality, and Improve Human Health.

Reliance upon fossil fuels and limited greenspace contribute to poor indoor and outdoor air quality and adverse health outcomes, particularly in communities of color. This article describes justice-informed public health and legal interventions to increase access to greenspace and accelerate the transitions to renewable energy and away from gas appliances.

Investigating the effect of dynamic traffic distribution on network-wide traffic emissions: An empirical study in Ningbo, China.

Urban road traffic is one of the primary sources of carbon emissions. Previous studies have demonstrated the close relationship between traffic flow characteristics and carbon emissions (CO2). However, the impact of dynamic traffic distribution on carbon emissions is rarely empirically studied on the network level. To fill this gap, this study proposes a dynamic network carbon emissions estimation method. The network-level traffic emissions are estimated by combining macroscopic emission models and recent advances in dynamic network traffic flow modeling, namely, Macroscopic Fundamental Diagram. The impact of traffic distribution and the penetration of battery electric vehicles on total network emissions are further investigated using the Monte Carlo method. The results indicate the substantial effect of network traffic distribution on carbon emissions. Using the urban expressway network in Ningbo as an example, in the scenario of 100% internal combustion engine vehicles, increasing the standard deviation of link-level traffic density from 0 to 15 veh/km-ln can result in an 8.9% network capacity drop and a 15.5% reduction in network carbon emissions. This effect can be moderated as the penetration rate of battery electric vehicles increases. Based on the empirical and simulating evidence, different expressway pollution management strategies can be implemented, such as petrol vehicle restrictions, ramp metering, congestion pricing, and perimeter control strategies.

The effect of quarantine policy on pollution emission and the usage of private transportation in urban areas.

Governmental policies, regulations, and responses to the pandemic can benefit from a better understanding of people's resulting behaviours before, during, and after COVID-19. To avoid the inelasticity and subjectivity of survey datasets, several studies have already used some objective variables like air pollutants to estimate the potential impacts of COVID-19 on the urban transportation system. However, the usage of reactant gases and a narrow time scale might weaken the results somehow. Here, both the objective passenger volume of public transport and the concentration of private traffic emitted black carbon (BC) from 2018 to 2023 were collected/calculated to decipher the potential relationship between public and private traffic during the COVID-19 period. Our results indicated that the commuting patterns of citizens show significant (p < 0.01) different patterns before, during, and after the pandemic. To be specific, public transportation showed a significant (p < 0.01) positive correlation with private transportation before the pandemic. This public transportation was significantly (p < 0.01) affected by the outbreaks of COVID-19, showing a significant (p < 0.01) negative correlation with private transportation. Such impacts of the virus and governmental policy would affect the long-term behaviour of individuals and even affect public transportation usage after the pandemic. Our results also indicated that such behaviour was mainly linked to the governmental restriction policy and would soon be neglected after the cancellation of the restriction policy in China.

The impact of digital transformation of infrastructure on carbon emissions: Based on a "local-neighborhood" perspective.

In light of the recent worldwide scientific and technological revolution, it is imperative that urban infrastructure undergo a digital transformation in order to lower carbon emissions and support sustainable urban growth. However, to date, there is a lack of empirical research on carbon emissions based on the digital transformation of urban infrastructure. This paper uses data from 178 prefecture-level cities in China from 2005 to 2020 to study the impact of digital transformation of urban infrastructure on carbon emissions based on the "local-neighbourhood" perspective using a spatial difference-in-differences model. The results show that the digital transformation of urban infrastructure reduces the intensity of local carbon emissions while also reducing the carbon emissions of neighbouring cities, with a spatial spillover effect, and the boundary of this spatial spillover is 600 km. Mechanistic analyses suggest that digital transformation of urban infrastructure can reduce carbon emissions locally as well as in nearby areas by promoting green technological innovations. In light of this, this study has important policy implications for maximising the contribution of digital transformation of infrastructure to reducing carbon emissions.

Health-Oriented Emission Control Strategy of Energy Utilization and Its Co-CO2 Benefits: A Case Study of the Yangtze River Delta, China.

Reducing air pollutants and CO2 emissions from energy utilization is crucial for achieving the dual objectives of clean air and carbon neutrality in China. Thus, an optimized health-oriented strategy is urgently needed. Herein, by coupling a CO2 and air pollutants emission inventory with response surface models for PM2.5-associated mortality, we shed light on the effectiveness of protecting human health and co-CO2 benefit from reducing fuel-related emissions and generate a health-oriented strategy for the Yangtze River Delta (YRD). Results reveal that oil consumption is the primary contributor to fuel-related PM2.5 pollution and premature deaths in the YRD. Significantly, curtailing fuel consumption in transportation is the most effective measure to alleviate the fuel-related PM2.5 health impact, which also has the greatest cobenefits for CO2 emission reduction on a regional scale. Reducing fuel consumption will achieve substantial health improvements especially in eastern YRD, with nonroad vehicle emission reductions being particularly impactful for health protection, while on-road vehicles present the greatest potential for CO2 reductions. Scenario analysis confirms the importance of mitigating oil consumption in the transportation sector in addressing PM2.5 pollution and climate change.

Exploring ways to improve China's ecological well-being amidst air pollution challenges using mixed methods.

Ecological well-being performance (EWP), a novel concept in sustainable development research, diverges from traditional ecological efficiency in terms of perspectives, core content, and driving factors. However, research on EWP remains insufficiently comprehensive, particularly the corresponding theoretical and methodological investigations into driving pathways. To address this gap, this study develops an "economy-environment-health" framework, incorporating air pollution and associated health losses into the evaluation system, and employs a two-stage Super-NSBM and Window DEA model for reevaluating EWP. The study further investigates the primary pathways of EWP, focusing on environmental regulations, technological innovation, and structural adjustments through both quantitative and qualitative methods. Quantitative spatial econometric analysis reveals that factors such as market-driven environmental regulations, green invention patents, and industrial and energy consumption structures significantly enhance EWP. While examining the "net effects" contributions of individual variables using spatial econometric models, the fsQCA method is employed to identify four effective driving paths for EWP from a configurational perspective. These paths are 1) technological innovation and structural adjustment under environmental regulations with public participation; 2) a combination of environmental regulation, technological innovation, and structural adjustment; 3) structural adjustment with minimal influence from environmental regulations and technological innovation; and 4) structural adjustment directed by market-incentive environmental regulations.

Can China's carbon generalized system of preferences reduce urban residents' carbon emissions? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment.

The carbon generalized system of preferences (CGSP) is an innovative incentive mechanism implemented by the Chinese government, which has also become an important part of carbon emission reduction at the living end, and it is of great significance to study whether the Pilot Policy can reduce the carbon emissions of residents. This study firstly accounts for the total carbon emissions and per capita carbon emissions of the residents of 284 cities in China, and on this basis, adopts the SCM method to quantitatively study and analyze the overall and local implementation effects of CGSP in China by taking the first batch of CGSP pilots in China as an example, and further applies the mediation effect model to test the pathways of the role of CGSP. The main findings of the study are as follows: (1) During the period of 2010-2020, the total carbon emissions from urban residents' living in China showed a yearly growth trend, from 36,623.98 ×10-2Mt in 2010-85,241.20 ×10-2Mt in 2020, an increase of 8.83%. Total carbon emissions present a structural difference of "electricity consumption > central heating > private transport > gas (oil, natural gas) consumption". (2) Overall, the implementation of the CGSP had a robust positive impact on the overall carbon emission reduction in the pilot cities, with an average annual emission reduction effect value of 36.53 ×10-2Mt. Locally, the annual net policy effect values of Dongguan, Zhongshan, Heyuan, and Guangzhou are 6169.79 ×10-2, 26,600.17 ×10-2, 17,081.34 ×10-2 and 9393.36 ×10-2Mt respectively. (3) CGSP has a good carbon emission reduction effect by suppressing the impact on residents' carbon emissions through enhancing the city's innovation capacity and promoting electricity saving and consumption reduction, while the mediating effect played by the promotion of green and low-carbon travel in the pilot policy is not significant. Finally, based on the research findings, relevant suggestions are targeted.

Unveiling the power of unity: A novel examination of regional cooperation in mitigating air pollution.

Amidst escalating environmental concerns, regional cooperation has emerged as a potent strategy for environmental preservation. Yet, the potency of such cooperation in curbing air pollution remains largely unexplored and nebulous. Drawing upon a decade-long (2010-2019) new data from the dynamic Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), this study seeks to fill these knowledge gaps. Our findings underscore the transformative potential of regional cooperation in mitigating air pollution. By catalyzing technological advancements, fostering structural shifts in businesses, and reshaping land-use patterns, regional cooperation paves the way for a cleaner, healthier environment. A deeper dive into the heterogeneity reveals that "top to bottom" city agreements within regional cooperation frameworks significantly enhance air quality. While institutional and economic collaborations prove instrumental in reducing air pollution, social cooperation appears to have a lesser impact. Research findings indicate that the future will necessitate strengthening formal, institutionalized regional cooperation to address potential challenges posed by environmental pollution.

Analysis of the dynamic mechanism of trans-boundary pollution collaborative control in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

Climate change mitigation requires simultaneous reduction of carbon emissions and air pollution. This study examines the synergy between pollution reduction and carbon reduction, identifying key variables and strategies to achieve this goal. Using a Geographical Detector model and a Coupling Degree of Coordination model, 108 cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) are investigated. Results show that while controlling PM2.5 has been more successful than managing carbon emissions in the YREB, synergy between pollution reduction and carbon emissions increased by an average of 7.2% from 2006 to 2019. Spatial analysis reveals higher synergy in upstream areas, indicating significant spatial diversity. The impact of pollution and emission reduction synergies is influenced by societal and environmental variables, including industry structure, technological innovation, energy structure, human capital quality, and economic basis. Synergy is amplified when natural limits align with high-quality development drivers such as technical innovation and the digital economy. Recommendations include enhancing city-to-city contact, improving energy and industrial structures, and fostering technological innovation to address regional variations in synergy levels.

How does carbon biased technological progress promote carbon haze collaborative Governance？Evidence from Chinese cities.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and haze pollution are often thought to have the same origin, the burning of fossil fuels. However, their relationship is not always synergistic and may even exhibit mutual constraints. Carbon-biased technological progress has emerged as a promising approach for simultaneously achieving three goals - to reduce CO2 emissions, alleviate the haze pressure, and keep economic growth. This study empirically investigates the impact and mechanisms of carbon-biased technological progress on carbon haze collaborative governance using data from 286 Chinese cities during 2006-2021. The results indicate that: (1) Carbon biased technological progress positively influences carbon haze collaborative governance. (2) This progress achieves coordination by enhancing element allocation efficiency, carbon efficiency, and responding to public environmental demands. (3) The facilitating role of carbon biased technological progress to carbon haze collaborative governance will work better if external conditions are met. Moreover, the effectiveness of carbon-biased technological progress in promoting coordination is contingent upon high levels of marketization, government intervention, environmental regulation, and technical advancements. Local and regional governments should foster conducive conditions for carbon dioxide and haze pollution coordination, optimize the allocation and flow of carbon resources, ensure harmonization between environmental regulation policies and other sectors, and bolster international cooperation and technical knowledge exchange to collectively address global environmental challenges.

A review of non-thermal plasma -catalysis: The mutual influence and sources of synergetic effect for boosting volatile organic compounds removal.

This review is aimed at researchers in air pollution control seeking to understand the latest advancements in volatile organic compound (VOC) removal. Implementing of plasma-catalysis technology for the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) led to a significant boost in terms of degradation yield and mineralization rate with low by-product formation. The plasma-catalysis combination can be used in two distinct ways: (I) the catalyst is positioned downstream of the plasma discharge, known as the "post plasma catalysis configuration" (PPC), and (II) the catalyst is located in the plasma zone and exposed directly to the discharge, called "in plasma catalysis configuration" (IPC). Coupling these two technologies, especially for VOCs elimination has attracted the interest of many researchers in recent years. The term "synergy" is widely reported in their works and associated with the positive effect of the plasma catalysis combination. This review paper investigates the state of the art of newly published papers about catalysis, photocatalysis, non-thermal plasma, and their combination for VOC removal application. The focus is on understanding different synergy sources operating mutually between plasma and catalysis discussed and classified into two main parts: the effect of the plasma discharge on the catalyst and the effect of the catalyst on plasma discharge. This approach has the potential for application in air purification systems for industrial processes or indoor environments.

Government-enterprise green collaborative governance and urban carbon emission reduction: Empirical evidence from green PPP programs.

The reliance solely on the government or enterprises to promote climate governance is contingent upon the vested interests of economic entities and the regulatory bodies' efficiency in governance. Can the model of government-enterprise green collaborative governance evolve into a long-term mechanism for addressing the climate crisis and achieving the goals of sustainable development? By crawling data on public-private partnerships (PPP), employing ChatGPT to identify green PPP projects, and building a generalized difference-in-differences framework based on the Guidance on Building a Green Financial System issued in 2016, this present study investigates whether the involvement of private capital in government-led environmental and climate governance can effectively facilitate government-enterprise green collaborative governance, thereby mitigating urban carbon emissions. The study finds government-enterprise green collaborative governance can significantly reduce urban carbon emissions. The conclusion remains valid even after several rounds of robustness tests, including removing the influence of pertinent climate policies, adjusting the settings of independent and dependent variables, and removing self-selection issues. Heterogeneity tests show, on the first hand, the carbon emission reduction effect of government-enterprise green collaborative governance differs due to the differences in the characteristics of green PPP(Pubic-private partnership) projects such as project return mechanism, project investment volume, and project cooperation term; on the other hand, the carbon emission reduction effect also shows heterogeneity with various urban characteristics such as geographical location, city type and city size. Mechanism tests indicate government-enterprise green collaborative governance affects urban carbon emissions mainly through structural effects, technological effects and co-investment effects. This paper offers a valuable framework for effectively promoting environmental and climate co-governance between governmental bodies and enterprises, while enhancing the market's role in resource benefit allocation within climate governance to mitigate the risks associated with climate change.

How does green finance impact carbon emissions in China: Evidence from the fintech perspective.

In light of China's objectives for carbon peak and carbon neutrality, there is an opportunity for fintech to leverage its technological advantages and enhance its integration with green finance (GF). This can bring about enhanced coverage and precision of financial services for green industries, facilitating the transformation towards a sustainable, greener, and low-carbon real economy. We investigate how fintech development influences the carbon emission reduction effects of GF utilizing a two-way fixed effects model with a panel dataset covering 30 provinces in China from 2011 to 2020. Our findings indicate that the negative impact of GF on carbon emissions (CE) is heightened in areas with high levels of fintech development. Furthermore, we notice regional disparities in how fintech development impacts the effectiveness of GF in reducing CE. Specifically, fintech has a statistically significant impact in the central and western regions, whereas its significance is absent in the eastern region. Lastly, our mechanism analysis reveals that fintech plays a vital role in enhancing GF's capacity to mitigate CE, which is achieved through channels of promoting green technology innovation (GTI), alleviating corporate financing constraints (FC), and optimizing energy structure (ES). These findings provide compelling evidence for the positive effect of fintech on the environment and offer justification for promoting the development of fintech and GF.

Health and Economic Benefits of Complying With the World Health Organization Air Quality Guidelines for Particulate Matter in Nine Major Latin American Cities.

Objectives: This study aims to estimate the short-term preventable mortality and associated economic costs of complying with the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines (AQGs) limit values for PM10 and PM2.5 in nine major Latin American cities. Methods: We estimated city-specific PM-mortality associations using time-series regression models and calculated the attributable mortality fraction. Next, we used the value of statistical life to calculate the economic benefits of complying with the WHO AQGs limit values. Results: In most cities, PM concentrations exceeded the WHO AQGs limit values more than 90% of the days. PM10 was found to be associated with an average excess mortality of 1.88% with concentrations above WHO AQGs limit values, while for PM2.5 it was 1.05%. The associated annual economic costs varied widely, between US$ 19.5 million to 3,386.9 million for PM10, and US$ 196.3 million to 2,209.6 million for PM2.5. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that there is an urgent need for policymakers to develop interventions to achieve sustainable air quality improvements in Latin America. Complying with the WHO AQGs limit values for PM10 and PM2.5 in Latin American cities would substantially benefits for urban populations.

How can the digital economy reduce carbon emissions? Empirical evidence from China.

China is transitioning into the digital economy era. The advancement of the digital economy could offer a fresh mechanism to attain carbon peak and carbon neutrality objectives. Applications of the digital economy, such as smart energy management, intelligent transport systems, and digital agricultural technologies, have significantly reduced carbon emissions by optimizing resource use, reducing energy waste, and improving production efficiency. This research does so by devising a theoretical model that looks into the multi-faceted power of the digital economy under a two-sector paradigm. Utilising a panel model, a mediation effect model and a spatial Durbin model to assess the digital economy's power on carbon emissions. This research has determined that the digital economy can significantly diminish carbon emissions, with green tech innovations and industrial transformation being key contributors. The spatial spillover effect was used for the digital economy to aid in lowering carbon emissions in adjacent districts and upgrading better environmental stewardship. The influence of the digital economy has better performance in lowering carbon emissions in mid-western China than in the eastern area. This paper deepens understanding of the drivers of low-carbon growth and the significance, mechanism and regional disparities of the digital economy's effect on reducing carbon emissions. It offers valuable policy insights and guidance for globally achieving digital economy growth, reducing carbon emissions and reaching carbon peak and neutrality goals.

Study of dust pollution control effect based on orthogonal test and CFD numerical simulations.

To control the diffusion of high concentrations of coal dust during tunnel boring and minimize the threat to the life and health of coal miners, theoretical analysis, numerical simulations, and field measurements were combined in this study. First, computational fluid dynamic simulation software was used to simulate the generation of dust particles and their transport pattern in the tunnel. Subsequently, an innovative orthogonal test was performed to study the effect of four ventilation parameters [the pressure airflow rate (Q), distance between the air duct center and heading face (LA), distance between the air duct center and tunnel floor (LB), and distance between the air duct center and nearest coal wall (LC)] on dust diffusion. According to the orthogonal test results, the optimal ventilation parameters for effective dust control are as follows: Q = 1400 m3/min, LA = 7 m, LB = 2.8 m, and LC = 1 m. The optimized set of ventilation parameters was applied to the Wangpo 3206 working face. The results show that dust diffusion in the tunnel was effectively controlled and that the air quality was sufficiently improved.

Measuring and valuing the health co-benefits of climate change mitigation: a scoping review.

Despite growing interest in the health co-benefits of climate change mitigation actions, there is little recent evidence on the appropriateness of the measurement techniques being used to estimate them. We did a scoping review to identify the different approaches that have been used to measure and value health co-benefits in the climate change mitigation literature. We searched three databases (EBSCOhost, Web of Science, and MEDLINE Ovid) to identify relevant papers published between 2010 and 2023, and identified 267 studies that met our inclusion criteria to be included in the review. We found that health co-benefit studies are more typically published in the environmental science literature than in health journals. Despite calls going back many years for greater standardisation in methods, we found a highly diverse set of health measures and valuation approaches still in use. The majority of studies (232 [87%]) measured only near-term health co-benefits from reduced air pollution, and only 13 (5%) studies incorporated the longer term health benefits from mitigating the future health harms of climate change. Just over half the studies included monetary valuation of health co-benefits, using a variety of valuation approaches. Public and planetary health researchers, epidemiologists, and health economists should seek to engage more actively with those undertaking research in health co-benefits. This would allow consideration of how best to reconcile differing perspectives and techniques, how to achieve better standardisation of measurement and valuation, and how to extend the generally narrow focus of current health co-benefit studies to become more holistic and comprehensive.

Effectiveness of respiratory face masks in reducing acute PM2.5 pollution exposure during peak pollution period in Delhi.

The cities of North India, such as Delhi, face a significant public health threat from severe air pollution. Between October 2021 and January 2022, 79 % of Delhi's daily average PM2.5 (Particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 µm) values exceeded 100 µg/m3 (the permissible level being 60 µg/m3 as per Indian standards). In response to this acute exposure, using Respiratory Face Masks (RFMs) is a cost-effective solution to reduce immediate health risks while policymakers develop long-term emission control plans. Our research focuses on the health and economic benefits of using RFMs to prevent acute exposure to PM2.5 pollution in Delhi for different age groups. Our findings indicate that, among the fifty chosen RFMs, M50 has greatest potential to prevent short-term excess mortality (908 in age ranges 5-44), followed by M49 (745) and M48 (568). These RFMs resulted in estimated economic benefits of 500.6 (46 %), 411.1 (37 %), and 313.4 (29 %) million Indian Rupee (INR), respectively during October-January 2021-22. By wearing RFMs such as M50, M49, and M48 during episodes of bad air quality, it is estimated that 13 % of short-term excess mortality and associated costs could be saved if at least 30 % of Delhi residents followed an alert issued by an operational Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) developed by the Ministry of Earth Sciences. Our research suggests that RFMs can notably decrease health and economic burdens amid peak PM2.5 pollution in post-monsoon and winter seasons until long-term emission reduction strategies are adopted. It is suggested that an advisory may be crafted in collaboration with statutory bodies and should be disseminated to assist the vulnerable population in using RFMs during winter. The analysis presented in this research is purely science based and outcomes of study are in no way to be construed as endorsement of product.