Sustainable LA Grand Challenge

In Los Angeles (LA), addressing air pollution has been an ongoing challenge for many decades, with a particular focus on emissions from motor vehicles. Disadvantaged communities (DACs) in the city are confronted with a wide range of socio-economic challenges, including high levels of poverty, unemployment, and limited access to essential healthcare services. Furthermore, DAC residents are more likely to live near-roadway, which exposes them to higher levels of traffic-related air pollution, ultimately resulting in environmental inequities. Although previous studies have quantified the ambient air quality and health benefits linked to zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) adoption to some extent, there is a crucial knowledge gap in the literature on evaluating the distribution equity of air quality and health benefits during the transition to clean vehicles from an environmental justice perspective.

In this study, we build upon the previous LA100 study, which aimed for the transition to 100% renewable energy in LA City, and introduce a new focus on Equity Strategies. This new focus aims to ensure a just transition by investigating the potential environmental and public health benefits of replacing conventional vehicles with ZEVs in the city of LA, especially among DACs. We first utilize state-of-the-art methods to estimate future emission trends under different scenarios, with a focus on ZEVs disparity among DACs. A personal trip-level transportation model is used to generate precise spatial emission patterns for the on-road sector under different ZEVs distribution scenarios. We then simulate consequent changes in ambient particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) and ozone concentrations using a high-resolution chemical transport model at about 1 km x 1 km. Finally, we assess the related public health benefits and monetized economic benefits in the city of LA using racial and ethnic specific concentration-response data.

This new study emphasizes the importance of not only transitioning to cleaner energy sources but also ensuring that the benefits of this transition are equitably distributed among all communities, particularly those that have been historically underserved. By evaluating the potential health and economic impacts of increased ZEV adoption, this study provides valuable insights for policymakers, stakeholders, and communities as they work together to create a more sustainable and equitable future for the city of LA.