Economic and Public Health Impacts of Transportation-Driven Air Pollution in South Asia

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

1.      This paper is basically a narrative review, and specific data should be supplemented, such as traffic flow, pollutant concentration, disease incidence, etc., and statistical models should be used to quantify the relationship between traffic emissions and health and economic indicators. It will be more convincing.

2.      Include recent papers in this field, evaluation on the development of urban low-carbon passenger transportation structure in tianjin

3.      Although the current situation of various countries is expounded, the comparative analysis of the effects of traffic pollution control measures in different cities is insufficient. It is suggested that typical cities should be selected and compared in terms of air quality, health status improvement and economic cost changes before and after the implementation of the policy, so as to provide more targeted reference for other cities.

4.      The proposed sustainable transport policy recommendations are macro and can be further refined. Different recommendations should be made in response to the national circumstances of different countries.

5.      In the part about economic impact, now I only list the economic impact of different countries, and I feel that the logic is not coherent. It can be reorganized according to the type of economic impact, such as increased health care costs, declining productivity, impact on industrial development, etc., and compare the similarities and differences between countries in the same type of economic impact.

Author Response

Reviewer 1- Reply
Thank you so much for your comments and suggestions. We have made every effort to address all of them as thoroughly as possible, while recognizing that fully addressing the first comment is challenging in a review paper like this.  We really appreciate your time and effort!
1.      This paper is basically a narrative review, and specific data should be supplemented, such as traffic flow, pollutant concentration, disease incidence, etc., and statistical models should be used to quantify the relationship between traffic emissions and health and economic indicators. It will be more convincing.
2.      Include recent papers in this field, evaluation on the development of urban low-carbon passenger transportation structure in Tianjin
Thank you. We have added the recent papers, and they are highlighted for your reference.
3.      Although the current situation of various countries is expounded, the comparative analysis of the effects of traffic pollution control measures in different cities is insufficient. It is suggested that typical cities should be selected and compared in terms of air quality, health status improvement and economic cost changes before and after the implementation of the policy, so as to provide more targeted reference for other cities.
Thank you for your valuable comment. As the quantified outcomes of economic and health impacts directly related to urban transportation air pollution are quite limited, this is challenging in this review paper.  
4.      The proposed sustainable transport policy recommendations are macro and can be further refined. Different recommendations should be made in response to the national circumstances of different countries.
Thank you for your valuable comment. We recognize its importance and have worked on addressing it at the end of the paper
5.      In the part about economic impact, now I only list the economic impact of different countries, and I feel that the logic is not coherent. It can be reorganized according to the type of economic impact, such as increased health care costs, declining productivity, impact on industrial development, etc., and compare the similarities and differences between countries in the same type of economic impact.
Thank you for your valuable comment. As the quantified outcomes of economic and health impacts directly related to urban transportation air pollution are quite limited for each country,   we faced challenges in providing a comprehensive answer. However, we have added more information to Table 1 to offer additional insights to the reader. 

 

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The manuscript is well-written, with well-structured ideas. It addresses a topic of public interest with ramifications in different areas. Aside from a few observations, which I have highlighted below, I believe the work contributes to the body of academic literature.

Line 80 - In the excerpt "... over 0.15 million such deaths annually," I suggest the authors write "150 000."

I suggest that the authors place the subscript "2" in CO₂. The same applies to PM₂.₅ and other symbols.

The page numbering contains errors.

I suggest the authors improve Figure 1.

I suggest the authors explicitly describe the literature search methodology used in this study.I missed a graphical analysis of the literature findings. I believe it would enrich the present work.

 

Author Response

Reviewer 2- Reply
Thank you so much for your valuable comments and we did our best to address them

The manuscript is well-written, with well-structured ideas. It addresses a topic of public interest with ramifications in different areas. Aside from a few observations, which I have highlighted below, I believe the work contributes to the body of academic literature.
Line 80 - In the excerpt "... over 0.15 million such deaths annually," I suggest the authors write "150 000."
Corrected, Thanks.
I suggest that the authors place the subscript "2" in CO₂. The same applies to PM₂.₅ and other symbols. The page numbering contains errors.
Corrected. Thank you so much
I suggest the authors improve Figure 1.
We did improve and added it
I suggest the authors explicitly describe the literature search methodology used in this study. I missed a graphical analysis of the literature findings. I believe it would enrich the present work.
Thank you for your valuable comment. We did explain the methodology and the process of literature review in more detail.

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The paper performs literature review on transportation emissions on major South Asian cities, analyzing the public health and economic impacts. The critical links between transportation emissions, air quality, and public health are identified. The conclusions call for the need for comprehensive, long-term policy prioritizing cleaner transportation, lower emissions, improved sustainable urban mobility. The paper can be accepted after addressing my comments.

1.      “Air pollution is already the second-highest risk factor for adverse health outcomes in the region, with devastating effects on lives and livelihoods”, which is the first highest risk factor and what is the source of this argument.

2.      “prevalent in urban and industrialized areas, exacerbate respiratory issues and increase the risk of certain cancers” It is suggested to provide exact numbers of certain mentioned factors, such as the increase of lung cancer due to air pollution.

3.      “These questions aim to explore the  relationship between transportation emissions, public health outcomes, and the economic costs associated with air quality deterioration in major cities of South Asia” It is suggested to further expand the motivation, why the studied subject is important and what potential impact and implication does the study aim to provide.

4.      Section 2, please provide an overview of the strategy/approach of how the information sources/references are selected, what are the time and space range of these selections.

5.      “Health risks were evaluated  using hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI)” Please provide brief definition of the two factors.

6.      “India, the most populous country in the world and the third-largest energy consumer, has a transportation sector that 194 serves 18% of the global population” give source of this argument.

7.      Section 3.1.2, please comment on the effects after India introduced the mentioned approaches to curb air pollution.

8.      Title of 3.2, check capitalized words in the title.

9.      Please further explain how fig.1 is obtained.

 

Author Response

Reviewer 3:
Thank you very much for your comments and suggestions. We really appreciate them and will do our best to address all of them.
The paper performs literature review on transportation emissions on major South Asian cities, analyzing the public health and economic impacts. The critical links between transportation emissions, air quality, and public health are identified. The conclusions call for the need for comprehensive, long-term policy prioritizing cleaner transportation, lower emissions, improved sustainable urban mobility. The paper can be accepted after addressing my comments.
1.      “Air pollution is already the second-highest risk factor for adverse health outcomes in the region, with devastating effects on lives and livelihoods”, which is the first highest risk factor and what is the source of this argument.
We see your point, and it was corrected
2.      “prevalent in urban and industrialized areas, exacerbate respiratory issues and increase the risk of certain cancers” It is suggested to provide exact numbers of certain mentioned factors, such as the increase of lung cancer due to air pollution.
Thank you! we have made the necessary additions to the paper, and they are highlighted for your review.
3.      “These questions aim to explore the  relationship between transportation emissions, public health outcomes, and the economic costs associated with air quality deterioration in major cities of South Asia” It is suggested to further expand the motivation, why the studied subject is important and what potential impact and implication does the study aim to provide.
Thank you again! We have made the necessary additions to the paper, and they are highlighted for your review.
4.      Section 2, please provide an overview of the strategy/approach of how the information sources/references are selected, what are the time and space range of these selections.
We did provide the approach, and that is highlighted for your review
5.      “Health risks were evaluated  using hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI)” Please provide brief definition of the two factors.
Thank you! We’ve added the changes and highlighted them for your review.
6.      “India, the most populous country in the world and the third-largest energy consumer, has a transportation sector that 194 serves 18% of the global population” give source of this argument.
We see your point, and it was corrected
7.      Section 3.1.2, please comment on the effects after India introduced the mentioned approaches to curb air pollution.
Thank you! We’ve added the changes and highlighted them for your review.
8.      Title of 3.2, check capitalized words in the title.
We see your point, and it was corrected. Thanks!
9.      Please further explain how fig.1 is obtained.
The figure was re-worked and did explain as well.

 

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

 The paper was revsed according to the recommendations.