Project description
High-speed rail, air pollution and environmental inequality
Transport infrastructure can drive economic development, but it may also create uneven environmental impacts across regions. Understanding how major infrastructure investments affect air pollution and environmental inequality is essential for sustainable and equitable development policies. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the RAILJUST project is exploring how China’s high-speed rail network influences fine particulate matter pollution and its distribution across regions. It uses satellite-based air quality data and causal interpretable machine learning methods to assess the impact of high-speed rail on pollution inequality. It will also identify the factors driving regional differences. Overall, the project’s goal is to promote green development through informed sustainable infrastructure planning and environmental justice policies.
Objective
Infrastructure development can foster economic growth but may also exacerbate environmental inequalities by creating uneven exposure to air pollution. This project examines the environmental impacts of China’s high-speed rail network, with a focus on the particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less (PM2.5) pollution and its unequal distribution across regions. Using satellite-derived PM2.5 data and causal, interpretable machine learning methods, the project will (i) estimate the impact of high-speed rail on pollution inequality and (ii) uncover spatial variation in its drivers. By integrating remote sensing, causal inference, and machine learning, the research advances interdisciplinary approaches to assessing infrastructure impacts and environmental justice. The results will provide insights relevant not only to China but also to Europe and beyond, supporting policy debates on sustainable infrastructure, regional cohesion, and the EU Green Deal.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
- social sciences economics and business economics econometrics
- social sciences sociology social issues social inequalities
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences environmental sciences pollution
- social sciences social geography cultural and economic geography
- natural sciences computer and information sciences artificial intelligence machine learning
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
62100 Macerata
Italy
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.