Estimating Health and Economic Benefits from PM2.5 Reduction in Fishery-Based Communities: A Sector-Specific Approach to Sustainable Air Quality Management in the Philippines

James Roy Lesidan (), Nadine Grace Caido, Oliver Semblante, Floro Junior Roque, Jejomar Bulan, Jumar Cadondon, Maria Cecilia Galvez and Edgar Vallar
Additional contact information
James Roy Lesidan: Environment and Remote Sensing Research (EARTH) Laboratory, Department of Physics, College of Science, De La Salle University, Malate, Manila 1004, Philippines
Nadine Grace Caido: Environment and Remote Sensing Research (EARTH) Laboratory, Department of Physics, College of Science, De La Salle University, Malate, Manila 1004, Philippines
Oliver Semblante: Department of Physics, College of Arts and Sciences, Visayas State University, Baybay City 6521, Leyte, Philippines
Floro Junior Roque: Environment and Remote Sensing Research (EARTH) Laboratory, Department of Physics, College of Science, De La Salle University, Malate, Manila 1004, Philippines
Jejomar Bulan: Environment and Remote Sensing Research (EARTH) Laboratory, Department of Physics, College of Science, De La Salle University, Malate, Manila 1004, Philippines
Jumar Cadondon: Environment and Remote Sensing Research (EARTH) Laboratory, Department of Physics, College of Science, De La Salle University, Malate, Manila 1004, Philippines
Maria Cecilia Galvez: Environment and Remote Sensing Research (EARTH) Laboratory, Department of Physics, College of Science, De La Salle University, Malate, Manila 1004, Philippines
Edgar Vallar: Environment and Remote Sensing Research (EARTH) Laboratory, Department of Physics, College of Science, De La Salle University, Malate, Manila 1004, Philippines

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 3, 1-22

Abstract: Fast-developing countries, particularly in Southeast Asia, are critically susceptible to high concentrations of inhalable fine particulate pollution (PM2.5), which threatens public health and economic development. This study evaluates the incremental reduction in PM2.5 concentrations and its potential health and economic benefits, focusing on sustainable air quality management in vulnerable communities, particularly in the fisheries sector in the Philippines. Using satellite-derived PM2.5 data and the Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program–Community Edition (BenMAP-CE) model, the estimated premature mortality rates and the associated costs under various concentration reduction scenarios (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) for the regions of Navotas, Bohol, and Davao Del Sur revealed substantial health and economic benefits. Under 25–50% reduction scenarios, it could prevent annual premature mortalities of 55–104 in the three regions, generating approximately USD 1.15 million in monetary benefits. A more considerable 75–100% reduction scenario could prevent up to 206 mortalities annually, yielding USD 2.07 million in monetary benefits. These benefits were notable in areas with higher baseline PM2.5 concentrations, such as Navotas and Davao Del Sur, which experienced significant reductions in premature mortality within the range of 1–3% of the fisherfolk population. These findings highlight the incremental reduction strategies in a sector-specific approach to protect vulnerable communities crucial for economic development. The developed approach aims to improve the air quality in fishing-dependent regions to ensure sustainable livelihoods across the Philippines while meeting national and global health targets.

Keywords: economic benefits; fine particulate matter; fishery-based communities; sector-specific; sustainable fisheries (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/3/1316/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/3/1316/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:3:p:1316-:d:1584848

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().