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    Economic Impact Of Improved Air Quality And Weather Forecasts in New England

    Whittemore School of Business and Economics (WSBE)
    University of New Hampshire

    Core Objectives
    • Gain new insights and data on economic benefits of environmental forecasting, with a focus on the economic value of improved forecasts of air quality to the energy sector.

    • Develop quantitative estimates of economic impacts of improved air quality and weather forecasts in the New England region for the energy sector and other commercial sectors (e.g., chemicals, aluminum, agriculture, tourism, natural resources and insurance) and for the general public.

    • Establish public-private-University partnership between NOAA, University of New Hampshire (UNH) Whittemore School of Business and Economics (WSBE) faculty-researchers and private companies by proving economic and business analysis that increases business engagement with NOAA.

    • Begin to institutionalize interdisciplinary work on environmental (i.e., air quality and weather) forecasting at the intersection of science, business and economics. Establish research and intellectual bridges between AIRMAP faculty at UNH and faculty in other disciplines at the University of New Hampshire (UNH).
    The Research
    Overview: The research team at UNH in partnership with NOAA, the US Weather Research Program Energy Initiative Grantee and Industry Partners will assess the economic benefits from improved air quality and weather forecasting. There has already been work done on the economic benefits of improved weather forecasts that the proposed research will build on. To date there has been limited assessment of the economic benefits from improved air quality forecasts.

    The proposed work will involve detailed economic analysis of the current system of air quality and weather forecasting and data/information flow. The system includes NOAA providing "raw" forecast data on air quality and weather to private vendors and companies who refine and add value to the raw data and cater their refined forecasts to different end user (e.g., energy traders, utility company) requirements.

    The proposed inquiry will consider how improvements to the forecast data provided by NOAA provides economic benefits to intermediate and end users of environmental forecasts. The focus will be on the economic benefits to the energy sector, other commercial sectors and the general public. These benefits emanate from more effective and efficient trading, business planning, management and public health derived from improved air quality and weather forecasts.

    UNH Economic Impact Research Team (members and area of expertise)
    Ross Gittell, James R. Carter Professor, WSBE, Economic Impact Analysis, Industry Studies.
    Richard England, Professor of Economics, Environmental Economics.
    Ju-Chin Huang, Associate Professor of Economics, Economic Value Modeling and Land Use Economics.
    Richard Mills, Professor of Economics and Decision Science, Energy Economics.
    John Halstead, Professor of Resource Economics, Resource Economics.
    Bob Woodward, McKerley Professor of Health Economics, Health Economics and Policy.


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