Jason West, PhD

About

Dr. J. Jason West conducts interdisciplinary research addressing air pollution and climate change by using models of atmospheric chemistry and transport and tools for quantitative policy analysis. His work aims to understand the relationships between air pollution and climate change and their relevance for science and policy on local through global scales.

Using computer models, Dr. West is currently exploring the effects of changes in emissions on global air quality (ozone and particulate matter), the international transport of air pollutants, the health effects of air pollution, the effects of climate change on air quality and the radiative forcing of climate.

Recently, Dr. West led the first study of the co-benefits of greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation for air quality and human health to use global atmospheric models and future scenarios; results showed that the monetized co-benefits exceeded previous co-benefits estimates and exceeded the global costs of GHG mitigation through 2050.

Jason West in the Gillings News

Representative Courses

Global Climate Change: Science, Impacts, Solutions (ENVR 575)

Air Pollution Chemistry and Physics (ENVR 675)

Research Activities

Global climate change; air pollution; atmospheric modeling; ozone; fine particulate matter; human health impact assessment; risk assessment; quantitative policy analysis; radiative climate forcing; long-range air pollutant transport

Service Activities

• Member of Scientific Steering Committee, International Commission on Atmospheric Chemistry and Global Pollution (http://www.icacgp.org/), 2010-present
• Editor on Reviews Board of journal Environmental Research Letters, 2015-present
• Co-editor of journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2012-present
• Lead for “Health Effects of Ozone and PM2.5” working group, UNECE Task Force on Hemispheric Transport of Air Pollution, 2010-present

Key Publications

Future global mortality from changes in air pollution attributable to climate change. Silva, R. A., J. J. West*, J.-F. Lamarque, D. T. Shindell, W. J. Collins, G. Faluvegi, G. Folberth, L. W. Horowitz, T. Nagashima, V. Naik, S. Rumbold, K. Sudo, T. Takemura, D. Bergmann, P. Cameron-Smith, R. M. Doherty, B. Josse, I. A. MacKenzie, D. S. Stevenson, and G. Zeng  (2017). Nature Climate Change, 7(:), 647-652.

Tropospheric ozone change from 1980 to 2010 dominated by equatorward redistribution of emissions. Zhang, Y., O. R. Cooper, A. Gaudel, A. M. Thompson, P. Nedelec, S.-Y. Ogino, and J. J. West* Nature Geoscience, 9(:), 875-879.

What we breathe impacts our health: improving understanding of the link between air pollution and health. West*, J. J., A. Cohen, F. Dentener, B. Burnekreef, T. Zhu, B. Armstrong, M. L. Bell, M. Brauer, G. Carmichael, D. L. Costa, D. W. Dockery, M. Kleeman, M. Krzyzanowski, N. Künzli, C. Liousse, S. C. C. Lung, R. V. Martin, U. Pöschl, C. A. Pope III, J. M. Roberts, A. G. Russell, and C. Wiedinmyer (2016). Environmental Science & Technology, 50(:), 4895-4904.

Co-benefits of global greenhouse gas mitigation for future air quality and human health. West*, J. J., S. J. Smith, R. A. Silva, V. Naik, Y. Zhang, Z. Adelman, M. M. Fry, S. Anenberg, L. W. Horowitz, and J.-F. Lamarque (2013). Nature Climate Change, 3(:), 885-889.

Global premature mortality due to anthropogenic outdoor air pollution and the contribution of past climate change. Silva, R. A., J. J. West*, Y. Zhang, S. C. Anenberg, J.-F. Lamarque, D. T. Shindell, W. J. Collins, S. Dalsoren, G. Faluvegi, G. Folberth, L. W. Horowitz, T. Nagashima, V. Naik, S. Rumbold, R. Skeie, K. Sudo, T. Takemura, D. Bergmann, P. Cameron-Smith, I. Cionni, R. M. Doherty, V. Eyring, B. Josse, I. A. MacKenzie, D. Plummer, M. Righi, D. S. Stevenson, S. Strode, S. Szopa, and G. Zeng (2013). Environmental Research Letters, 8(:), 034005.

Education