Exclusive: Climate Change and Low-carbon Development of Green Energy

Impact of “double carbon” goal on urban air quality in China

  • WANG Yichen ,
  • DONG Lu ,
  • ZHANG Linru ,
  • XIE Meiying ,
  • HAN Xiao ,
  • CAO Junji
Expand
  • 1. School of Public Policy and Administration, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China;
    2. Chongqing Innovation Center, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Chongqing 401135, China;
    3. Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China

Received date: 2024-01-03

  Revised date: 2024-06-17

  Online published: 2024-11-02

Abstract

This paper firstly clarifies that development of new renewable energy under "dual carbon" goal will benefit urban areas in PM2.5and O3 pollution, and then summarizes such improvements in air quality in terms of the energy transitions in electric power, heating, steel and cement, transportation and other industries. In addition, limitations of the current research are also addressed. Future research should focus on the governance of new pollutants, the perspective of individual selection and the two-sided characteristics of policies, so as to promote continuous improvement of air quality in China and help the "dual carbon" goal continue to advance in depth.

Cite this article

WANG Yichen , DONG Lu , ZHANG Linru , XIE Meiying , HAN Xiao , CAO Junji . Impact of “double carbon” goal on urban air quality in China[J]. Science & Technology Review, 2024 , 42(19) : 59 -65 . DOI: 10.3981/j.issn.1000-7857.2024.02.00237

References

[1] Huang X, Ding A J, Gao J, et al. Enhanced secondary pollution offset reduction of primary emissions during COVID-19 lockdown in China[J]. National Science Review, 2021, 8(2): 51-59.
[2] 中华人民共和国生态环境部. 2023中国生态环境状况公 报[R/OL]. (2024-06-05) [2024-06-13]. https://www.mee.gov.cn/hjzl/sthjz.
[3] Zhang Q, Zheng Y X, Tong D, et al. Drivers of improved PM2.5 air quality in China from 2013 to 2017[J]. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2019, 116(49): 24463-24469.
[4] Yu C Y, Kang J J, Teng J, et al. Does coal-to-gas policy reduce air pollution? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China[J]. Science of the Total Environment, 2021, 773: 144645.
[5] Zheng B, Tong D, Li M, et al. Trends in China's anthropogenic emissions since 2010 as the consequence of clean air actions[J]. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2018, 18(19): 14095-14111.
[6] Xing J, Lu X, Wang S X, et al. The quest for improved air quality may push China to continue its CO2 reduction beyond the Paris Commitment[J]. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2020, 117(47): 29535-29542.
[7] 自然资源保护协会. 中国散煤综合治理研究报告2020[R/OL]. (2020-09-23) [2024-06-13]. http://www.nrdc.cn/information/informationinfo?id=292&cook=2.
[8] Shindell D, Smith C J. Climate and air-quality benefits of a realistic phase-out of fossil fuels[J]. Nature, 2019, 573(7774): 408-411.
[9] Agee M D, Atkinson S E, Crocker T D, et al. Non-separable pollution control: Implications for a CO2 emissions cap and trade system[J]. Resource and Energy Economics, 2014, 36(1): 64-82.
[10] Cheng J, Tong D, Zhang Q, et al. Pathways of China's PM2.5 air quality 2015-2060 in the context of carbon neutrality[J]. National Science Review, 2021, 8(12): 63-73.
[11] Shi X R, Zheng Y X, Lei Y, et al. Air quality benefits of achieving carbon neutrality in China[J]. Science of the Total Environment, 2021, 795: 148784.
[12] Yang G F, Liu Y H, Li X N. Spatiotemporal distribution of ground-level ozone in China at a city level[J]. Scientific Reports, 2020, 10(1): 7229.
[13] Guo X R, Shen Y Q, Liu W W, et al. Estimation and prediction of industrial VOC emissions in Hebei Province, China[J]. Atmosphere, 2021, 12(5): 530.
[14] 钟美芳, 李智博, 黄皓旻, 等.“双碳”背景下工业源VOCs排放特征与减排潜力研究[J]. 环境科学学报, 2022, 42(10): 12-25.
[15] 刘春景, 吕建燚, 赵汶畅, 等. 两种模式下中国未来发电行业发展情景及其环境效益分析[J]. 环境科学, 2022, 43(7): 3375-3385.
[16] 徐北瑶, 王体健, 李树, 等.“双碳”目标对我国未来空气污染和气候变化的影响评估[J]. 科学通报, 2022, 67(8): 784-794.
[17] Liu Z Y, Zhang Y, Wang Y H, et al. Cost-effectiveness of NOx and VOC co-operative controls for PM2.5 and O3 mitigation in the context of China's carbon neutrality[J]. Environmental Science & Technology Letters, 2023, 10(11): 1109-1116.
[18] Qu C F, Yang X, Zhang D, et al. Estimating health cobenefits of climate policies in China: An application of the regional emissions-air quality-climate-health (reach) framework[J]. Climate Change Economics, 2020, 11(3): 2041004.
[19] Yue H B, He C Y, Huang Q X, et al. Stronger policy required to substantially reduce deaths from PM2.5 pollution in China[J]. Nature Communications, 2020, 11(1): 1462.
[20] Wang Y S, Xie M J, Wu Y Z, et al. Ozone-related Cobenefits of China's Climate mitigation Policy[J]. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 2022, 182: 106288.
[21] Cheng J, Tong D, Liu Y, et al. A synergistic approach to air pollution control and carbon neutrality in China can avoid millions of premature deaths annually by 2060[J]. One Earth, 2023, 6(8): 978-989.
[22] Tong D, Cheng J, Liu Y, et al. Dynamic projection of anthropogenic emissions in China: Methodology and 2015-2050 emission pathways under a range of socio-economic, climate policy, and pollution control scenarios[J]. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 2020, 20(9): 5729-5757.
[23] Zhang G X, Yang Y, Su B, et al. Electricity production, power generation structure, and air pollution: A monthly data analysis for 279 cities in China (2015-2019)[J]. Energy Economics, 2023, 120: 106597.
[24] Jiang P, Alimujiang A, Dong H J, et al. Detecting and understanding synergies and co-benefits of low carbon development in the electric power industry in China[J]. Sustainability, 2019, 12(1): 297.
[25] 中华人民共和国国家统计局. 中国统计年鉴2016[M]. 北京: 中国统计出版社, 2016.
[26] 中华人民共和国环境保护部.《中国环境统计年报2015》[M]. 北京: 中国环境出版社, 2016.
[27] Zhang S H, An K X, Li J, et al. Incorporating health cobenefits into technology pathways to achieve China's 2060 carbon neutrality goal: A modelling study[J]. The Lancet Planetary Health, 2021, 5(11): e808-e817.
[28] Cai W J, Hui J X, Wang C, et al. The Lancet Countdown on PM2.5 pollution-related health impacts of China's projected carbon dioxide mitigation in the electric power generation sector under the Paris Agreement: A modelling study[J]. The Lancet Planetary Health, 2018, 2(4): e151-e161.
[29] Liu J, Mauzerall D L, Chen Q, et al. Air pollutant emissions from Chinese households: A major and underappreciated ambient pollution source[J]. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2016, 113(28): 7756-7761.
[30] Ebenstein A, Fan M Y, Greenstone M, et al. New evidence on the impact of sustained exposure to air pollution on life expectancy from China's Huai River Policy [J]. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2017, 114(39): 10384-10389.
[31] 北方地区冬季清洁取暖规划(2017—2021年)[R]. 北京: 发展改革委, 能源局, 财政部, 2017.
[32] Zhang M J, Gao L, Wang Q D, et al. Methane leakage measurement of natural gas heating boilers and greenhouse gas emissions accounting of "coal-to-gas" transition for residential heating in rural Beijing[J]. Environmental Science & Technology Letters, 2023, 10(1): 93-97.
[33] Zhou M, Liu H X, Peng L Q, et al. Environmental benefits and household costs of clean heating options in Northern China[J]. Nature Sustainability, 2022, 5(4): 329-338.
[34] Wang S W, Su H, Chen C C, et al. Natural gas shortages during the "coal-to-gas" transition in China have caused a large redistribution of air pollution in winter 2017[J]. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2020, 117(49): 31018-31025.
[35] Xing M, Liu W G, Li X, et al. Vapor isotopic evidence for the worsening of winter air quality by anthropogenic combustion-derived water[J]. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2020, 117(52): 33005-33010.
[36] Wu J R, Bei N F, Liu W G, et al. Why is the air humid during wintertime heavy haze days in Beijing? [J]. Science of the Total Environment, 2022, 853: 158597.
[37] 空气质量评估报告(九)[R]. 北京: 北京大学统计科学中心, 北京大学光华管理学院, 大数据分析与应用技术国家工程实验室, 2022.
[38] Bo X, Jia M, Xue X D, et al. Effect of strengthened standards on Chinese ironmaking and steelmaking emissions [J]. Nature Sustainability, 2021, 4(9): 811-820.
[39] Huang D, Dinga C D, Tao Y, et al. Quantitative analysis of net-zero transition pathways and synergies in China's iron and steel industry[J]. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2023, 183: 113495.
[40] Tang L, Ruan J H, Bo X, et al. Plant-level real-time monitoring data reveal substantial abatement potential of air pollution and CO2 in China's cement sector[J]. One Earth, 2022, 5(8): 892-906.
[41] Wang K L, Zheng L J, Zhang J Z, et al. The impact of promoting new energy vehicles on carbon intensity: Causal evidence from China[J]. Energy Economics, 2022, 114: 106255.
[42] Li S Y, Wang S X, Wu Q R, et al. Emission trends of air pollutants and CO2 in China from 2005 to 2021[J]. Earth System Science Data, 2023, 15(6): 2279-2294.
[43] Sun Q Q, Chen H, Long R Y, et al. Who will pay for the "bicycle cemetery"? Evolutionary game analysis of recycling abandoned shared bicycles under dynamic reward and punishment[J]. European Journal of Operational Research, 2023, 305(2): 917-929.
[44] Kern F, Peuckert J, Lange S, et al. Designing effective and acceptable policy mixes for energy transitions: Countering rebound effects in German industry[J]. Energy Research & Social Science, 2022, 90: 102680.
Outlines

/