Health and economic impacts of improved air quality from transitioning global shipping energy to hydrogen
Ran, Q., Gaubert, B., Fang, T., Yim, S.. (2026). Health and economic impacts of improved air quality from transitioning global shipping energy to hydrogen. Nature Communications, doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-76134-x
| Title | Health and economic impacts of improved air quality from transitioning global shipping energy to hydrogen |
|---|---|
| Genre | Article |
| Author(s) | Q. Ran, Benjamin Gaubert, T. Fang, S. Yim |
| Abstract | Hydrogen energy is critical for decarbonizing the hard-to-electrify shipping sector and improving air quality. However, the associated health and economic co-benefits remain unclear. Here we assess the health and economic impacts of feasible hydrogen transition scenarios in global shipping using an integrated emission-air quality-health modeling framework. Our results show that hydrogen adoption could avert approximately 129,500 (95% confidence interval: 68,300–202,200) premature mortalities annually—75% attributable to ozone (O3) concentration reduction and 25% attributable to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) decline—with the greatest O3-attributable health gains in Southern Asia and PM2.5-attributable gains in Eastern Asia. These health benefits are estimated to save an economic cost of approximately US$306 billion (US$146–488 billion), with India, Japan and the United States of America receiving the largest economic benefit. The findings highlight the potential of hydrogen-based shipping decarbonization to deliver substantial public health and economic co-benefits. |
| Publication Title | Nature Communications |
| Publication Date | Dec 1, 2026 |
| Publisher's Version of Record | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-76134-x |
| OpenSky Citable URL | https://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7x3532k |
| OpenSky Listing | View on OpenSky |
| ACOM Affiliations | ACRESP |