Greenhouse mitigation will prevent 3 million premature deaths: study Retirees do tai chi during their morning exercise on a hazy day in Fuyang city, in central China. Air pollution is a major problem in China due to the country's rapid industrialisation. AP Photo. GREENHOUSE gas mitigation efforts would pay for themselves in health benefits alone, US scientists say. A study published today in the journal Nature Climate Change says reduced emissions would prevent hundreds of thousands of premature deaths a year and up to three million annually by the end of the century. It says the "statistical value" of these lives far outweighs the costs of emission reduction, particularly over the next few decades. "The benefits of avoided air pollution mortality justify substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, apart from other benefits of slowing global climate change," the paper says. As well as boosting carbon levels, many greenhouse gases increase concentrations of tiny airborne particles which aggravate illnesses such as asthma and emphysema. They also produce ground-level ozone, a component of smog which triggers respiratory problems. While emission reduction models predict improved air quality, the new study says they underestimate the benefits because they overlook the ability of air pollutants to travel long distances. The paper calculates health savings of up to $US380 ($402) for every ton of CO2 removed from the earth's atmosphere - far higher than previous estimates of up to $196 a ton. The benefits are greatest in highly populated areas experiencing rapid industrialisation. In China, emission reductions could deliver health savings as high as $840 per ton of CO2. This is up to 70 times the "marginal abatement costs," reflected in median carbon prices, the paper says. It says industrialised regions including North America, Europe and East Asia will gain most from short-term mitigation efforts, with two-thirds of the health benefits in 2030 occurring in China. Regions such as Africa will benefit more at the end of the century, because increasing industrialisation will raise both pollution levels and the economic value of people's lives. But it says short-term health savings will exceed median carbon prices in all regions apart from Australia, where low population and remoteness reduce the health impacts of air pollution. The paper says that while greenhouse mitigation should primarily be motivated by the environmental and climatic benefits, other advantages should be taken into account. These results show the substantial air quality and health benefits of pursuing a low-carbon future.