Zheng, Lianming, Adalibieke, Wulahati, Zhou, Feng, He, Pan  ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1088-6290, Chen, Yilin, Guo, Peng, He, Jinling, Zhang, Yuanzheng, Li, Jin, Li, Weiran, Gan, Yining, Xu, Peng, Wang, Chen, Ye, Jianhuai, Zhu, Lei, Shen, Guofeng, Fu, Tzung-May, Yang, Xin, Zhao, Shunliu, Hakami, Amir, Meng, Jing and Shen, Huizhong
2025.
Indirect emissions contribute a quarter of air pollution-related health burden of food systems in China.
Nature Food
6
, pp. 766-776.
10.1038/s43016-025-01193-0
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Abstract
Agricultural intensification produces indirect emissions beyond ammonia volatilization from activities such as machinery usage, food processing, transportation, storage and energy inputs. Here we integrate an input-output analysis with air quality modelling approaches, showing that attributable mortality from indirect emissions has risen sixfold in China over the past 37 years. Indirect emissions now account for one-quarter of air pollution-related attributable mortality associated with food consumption. We find a marked redistribution of the indirect health burden, with low-income groups experiencing an additional 58% attributable deaths compared with their expected food consumption burdens, which were initially associated with the food consumption of high-income groups. Targeted strategies using abatement approaches could halve the indirect health burden, thereby mitigating the environmental impact of food consumption amid agricultural intensification.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Date Type: | Published Online |
| Status: | Published |
| Schools: | Schools > Earth and Environmental Sciences |
| Publisher: | Nature Research |
| Date of First Compliant Deposit: | 25 July 2025 |
| Date of Acceptance: | 10 June 2025 |
| Last Modified: | 04 Jan 2026 02:45 |
| URI: | https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/179960 |
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