MARCHES
The MARCHES project aims to standardize economic and health models for public authorities to enable them to accurately account for air pollution and water nitrate's welfare economic health costs in their socio-economic analyses and impact assessments. It involves reviews, consensus-building, model development, and guidelines for an accounting approach meant to be applied by EU and national authorities. Case studies will showcase its applicability.
Duration: January 2023 - December 2026
Our work in this project
Cost-benefit Analyses - Conduct cost-benefit analyses of at least two mitigation measures for air pollution pertaining to the Catalonia region through an evaluation of their avoided health impacts, using ‘unit prices’ calculated from the EVA model versus mitigation costs.
Stakeholder Consultations and Workshops - Engage stakeholders and experts in consultations and workshops to discuss the relevant mitigation measures to be assessed, methodologies and preliminary results, aiming for consensus on best practices and broader application across Europe.
Framework for Mitigation Cost Appraisals - Develop a consistent welfare economic framework for assessing mitigation costs, adhering to OECD guidelines, and apply this to the Catalonia case study.
Why is this work relevant?
The air we breathe and the water we drink provide essential life support to humans and are critical for maintaining good health. Air pollution is currently considered the largest environmental burden in Europe, causing about 350,000 premature deaths annually. Drinking water quality is compromised in many parts of Europe from the leaching of agricultural fertilizer nitrates that have been found to trigger cancers.
To underpin the regular use of integrated economic and health modelling in impact assessments and socioeconomic analysis by public authorities, the MARCHES project aims to advance methodological rigour and consistency in accounting for the welfare and economic health costs of air pollution and drinking water nitrate. This will be demonstrated in case studies in five Member States (Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, Sweden) and in one west-Balkan country (Kosovo).