VALUATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSORS

Project Information

VALESOR

Grant agreement ID: 101095611

DOI

10.3030/101095611

Project closed

EC signature date 25 November 2022

Start date 1 January 2023

End date 31 December 2025

Funded under

• Health

Total cost

€ 2 913 886,26

EU contribution

€ 2 913 886,26

Coordinated by

UNIVERSITE D'ANGERS
France

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - VALESOR (VALUATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL STRESSORS)

Reporting period: 2023-01-01 to 2024-06-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

VALESOR aims to make contributions to the scientific and policy efforts to accommodate economic values of environmental stressors more homogenously in policy making. The environmental stressors of concern for VALESOR are chemical stressors such as chemicals and air pollutants transmitted via air, water, and soil vectors.

VALESOR will develop an innovative and evolutive website tool for stakeholders to assess health and economic consequences of planned variations in chemical stressors. VALESOR will also engage in outreach activities to promote the consideration of environmental stressors in economic decision making and to facilitate an establishment of a trans-disciplinary consistency in values used when valuing environmental stressors.

Starting from a review of state-of-the-art knowledge regarding air pollution epidemiology, chemicals toxicology, health impact assessment and health economic valuation, VALESOR will previously update current the Alpha-Risk-Poll (ARP) valuation into a multi-stressor model (ARP v2.0) for economic valuation of health impacts of environmental stressors. Based on earlier research, VALESOR will clarify which input knowledge is important prior to calculating economic values associated with chemicals and air pollution. VALESOR will make concrete guidance with respect to how key economic wellbeing values should be used by policy makers.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

VALESOR is structured around 7 scientific Work Packages which have all started.

WP1 has defined the environmental stressors of main concern for the VALESOR tool by screening available information and identifying ongoing EU environmental policy processes. It has reviewed the last 10-20 years of epidemiology, toxicology, health impact assessments and economic valuation studies on environmental stressors. Moreover, it is identifying gaps in the literature.
So far, environmental stressors have been identified and literature reviews have been performed. 3 policy briefs and gap analysis are finalised.

WP2 intends to identify health impacts linked to chemical and pollutant exposures, develop response models and tools, accounting for multi-media exposure where appropriate, provide guidance on uncertainties in assessment, provide interpretation of impacts to enable robust linkage to valuation and policy appraisal.
So far, health impacts linked to chemical and pollutants exposures have been identified.

WP3 first estimates the WTP for health improvements that are robust to the modelling uncertainty inherent in a QALY, while remaining consistent within a VSL Life framework. It also estimates the impact for single and multi-chemical exposure on the VSC and on the WTP for health improvements for key health endpoints. WP3 also assesses the equity impacts from mortality and morbidity impacts for policy valuation, via a social welfare function approach. WP3 improves the complementarity of economic values by scoping available Cost-of-illness studies and construct a benefit-transfer methodology as well.
So far, the two survey instruments on WTP are still under construction and first results will be obtained after studies implementation. A report on social welfare functions is also being drafted.

WP4 creates step-by-step guidelines for valuation of health endpoints and to model development, based methodological developments on input data results of WP1–WP3 and aimed to the software tool developed in WP5. It also provides input exposure data for the modelling exercises and develops a guidance to policy makers (WP6).
Preliminary discussions have started about the guidelines for valuation of health endpoints and to model development.

WP5 develops an increased-complexity pollution valuation model (ARP v2.0) by including more environmental stressors (including chemicals) and allows for a larger set of economic and ethical perspectives to be represented. Based on ARP v2.0 model, WP5 will create a user-friendly website VALESOR valuation tool for policy makers. WP5 will publish and advertise both ARP v2.0 model and VALESOR tool
Work has been initiated to design new ARP model.

WP6 focuses on getting expert and stakeholder input to the new ARP model and VALESOR website tool development as well as training informing stakeholders and main target groups about the models’ and tools’ suitable uses.
So far, expert roster has been defined. Participation to EAERE conference on 3rd July 2024 & SBCA conference 19-20 September 2024 is planned.

WP7 will test the VALESOR outputs (guidance documents, ARP v2.0 model and VALESOR website tool) on real-word cases studies including sensitivity analysis. WP7 will also exchange lessons learned in outreach activities to disseminate experiences and empower decision-makers by demonstrating the added value of the VALESOR methodology and promote its wider acceptance among the public and the scientific community.
Selection of cases studies is done but related deliverable is due later.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

For socio-economically efficient policies, the socio-economic values of pollution reduction must be taken into account when setting taxes, subsidies or creating other market-based instruments. VALESOR will contribute to a consistent and transparent representation of these values by fully taking into account socio-economic effects, including effects on non-market values, in the development of environmental policy proposals in the European Union.

VALESOR results will contribute to three main outcomes.

1. It will contribute to regular use of economic and health modelling in policy impact assessments and policy evaluations primarily by informing the main target groups about the ARP 2.0 model and the development of the website tool at dedicated sessions during the project duration, and also by involving them in the development of the tool and its application.

2. VALESOR results will also contribute to much needed stakeholder agreements on the most relevant population health and quality of life-, and economic metrics through the publication and dissemination of the results of our scientific review efforts and economic modelling and valuation.

3. To support that stakeholders follow common guidelines and methodologies for integrative socioeconomic assessments and CBA of environmental pollution in Europe, VALESOR will produce several guidelines related to various issues of concern for economic valuation of environmental stressors.

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