Environmental Protection or Environmental Protectionism? Evidence from Tail Pipe Emission Standards in China

2021 ◽  
Vol 111 ◽  
pp. 381-385
Author(s):  
Jie Bai ◽  
Shanjun Li ◽  
Danxia Xie ◽  
Hui Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Sharp Increase ◽  
Detailed Data ◽  
Tail Pipe ◽  
Stated Goal ◽  
Emission Standards ◽  
Vehicle Registration ◽  
The Impact

Under the stated goal of improving air quality, many cities in China restricted the import of used vehicles from other cities based on tail pipe emission standards. Using detailed data on new and used vehicle registration, we examine the impact of the policy by leveraging the staggered removal of the restriction during 2016-2018. We find that restriction removal led to a sharp increase in cross-city flow of used vehicles but had no significant impact on local air quality. Unilateral removal of the restriction could reduce new vehicle sales in home cities, but universal removal would boost new vehicle sales nationwide.

scholarly journals Association of temporary Environmental Protection Agency regulation suspension with industrial economic viability and local air quality in California, United States

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Chang ◽  
Kenneth Zhang ◽  
Margaret Paczkowski ◽  
Sara Kohler ◽  
Marco Ribeiro
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Manufacturing Industry ◽  
Economic Viability ◽  
Treatment Control ◽  
Oil Refineries ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background This study seeks to answer two questions about the impacts of the 2020 Environmental Protection Agency’s enforcement regulation rollbacks: is this suspension bolstering the economic viability of industries as oil and manufacturing executives claim they will and are these regulations upholding the agency’s mission of protecting the environment? Results To answer the former question, we utilized 6 months of state employment level data from California, United States, as a method of gauging the economic health of agency-regulated industries. We implemented a machine learning model to predict weekly employment data and a t-test to indicate any significant changes in employment. We found that, following California's state-issued stay-at-home order and the agency’s regulation suspension, oil and certain manufacturing industries had statistically significant lower employment values. To answer the latter question, we used 10 years of PM2.5 levels in California, United States, as a metric for local air quality and treatment–control county pairs to isolate the impact of regulation rollbacks from the impacts of the state lockdown. Using the agency’s data, we performed a t-test to determine whether treatment–control county pairs experienced a significant change in PM2.5 levels. Even with the statewide lockdown—a measure we hypothesized would correlate with decreased mobility and pollution levels—in place, counties with oil refineries experienced the same air pollution levels when compared to historical data averaged from the years 2009 to 2019. Conclusions In contrast to the expectation that the suspension would improve the financial health of the oil and manufacturing industry, we can conclude that these industries are not witnessing economic growth with the suspension and state shutdown in place. Additionally, counties with oil refineries could be taking advantage of these rollbacks to continue emitting the same amount of PM2.5, in spite of state lockdowns. For these reasons, we ask international policymakers to reconsider the suspension of enforcement regulations as these actions do not fulfill their initial expectations. We recommend the creation and maintenance of pollution control and prevention programs that develop emission baselines, mandate the construction of pollution databases, and update records of pollution emissions.

scholarly journals Association of Temporary Environmental Protection Agency Regulation Suspension With Industrial Economic Viability and Local Air Quality in California, United States

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Chang ◽  
Kenneth Zhang ◽  
Margaret Paczkowski ◽  
Sara Kohler ◽  
Marco Ribeiro
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
T Test ◽  
Economic Viability ◽  
Treatment Control ◽  
Oil Refineries ◽  
Pollution Levels ◽  
Machine Learning Model ◽  
The Impact

Abstract BackgroundThis study seeks to answer two questions about the impacts of the 2020 Environmental Protection Agency’s enforcement regulation rollbacks: is this suspension bolstering the economic viability of industries as oil and manufacturing executives claim they will and are these regulations upholding the agency’s mission of protecting the environment?ResultsTo answer the former question, we utilized employment levels as a method of gauging the economic health of agency-regulated industries. By implementing a machine learning model to predict employment values weekly and a t-test to indicate any significant changes in employment, we found that most industries, including oil, are economically worse off following California's state-issued stay-at-home order and the agency’s regulation suspension.To answer the latter question, we used PM2.5 levels as a metric for local air quality and isolated the impact of regulation rollbacks from the impacts of the state lockdown with treatment-control county pairs. Using the agency’s database to collect data and performing a t-test to determine whether treatment-control county pairs experienced a significant change in PM2.5 levels, we found that counties with oil refineries continued to experience the same air pollution levels as before, despite the statewide lockdown.ConclusionsFrom our findings, we can conclude that industries are not witnessing economic growth with these guidelines and state shutdown in place. Additionally, counties with oil refineries could be taking advantage of these rollbacks to continue emitting the same amount of PM2.5, in spite of state lockdowns. For these reasons, we ask international policymakers to reconsider the legislation of similar regulations as these policies do not fulfill their expectations.

scholarly journals Impact of Income Inequality on Urban Air Quality: A Game Theoretical and Empirical Study in China

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (16) ◽  
pp. 8546
Author(s):  
Feng Wang ◽  
Jian Yang ◽  
Joshua Shackman ◽  
Xin Liu
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Income Inequality ◽  
Empirical Study ◽  
Environmental Pollution ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Clean Energy ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Urban Air ◽  
Coal Consumption ◽  
The Impact

Income inequality and environmental pollution are of great concern in China. It is important to better understand whether the narrowing of income inequality and environmental improvement contradict each other. The study aims to investigate the linkage between income inequality and environmental pollution. To illustrate the interplay between different income groups on environmental issues, we apply a mixed-strategy game. Based on the game-theoretic analytical result, the probability of residents supporting clean energy and environmental protection decreases as income inequality widens and increases as inequality narrows. This empirical study is based on the proportion of coal consumption and urban air pollution data from 113 key environmental protection cities and regions in China. The air quality data are from the National Environmental Air Quality Monitoring Network published in the China Statistical Yearbook from 2014–2018. Convincing results show that regions with higher income inequality suffer severe smog and related pollution and that economies with narrow income disparity experience significant improvements in smog and pollution control, with the expansion of the proportion of clean energy use. The results also provide no evidence of the impact of per capita income on pollution. We studied the relationship between individuals of different wealth levels within an economy, within a repeated-game setting. The finding suggests that the distribution of growth impacts pollution. Imposing higher taxes on air polluters while transferring the revenue to the lower-income group is suggested.

scholarly journals The Impact of Pollution on Worker Productivity

2012 ◽  
Vol 102 (7) ◽  
pp. 3652-3673 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Graff Zivin ◽  
Matthew Neidell
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Human Capital ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Quality Standards ◽  
Worker Productivity ◽  
Piece Rate ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Robust Evidence ◽  
Ozone Levels

This paper assesses the impact of pollution on worker productivity by relating exogenous daily variations in ozone with productivity of agricultural workers as recorded under piece rate contracts. We find robust evidence that ozone levels well below federal air quality standards have a significant impact on productivity. These results suggest that, in contrast to common characterizations of environmental protection as a tax on producers, environmental protection can also be viewed as an investment in human capital, and thus a tool for promoting economic growth.

Impact of excess diesel NOx emisions upon NO2 pollution in a compact city: the role of model resolution

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaime Benavides ◽  
Marc Guevara ◽  
Michelle G. Snyder ◽  
Daniel Rodríguez-Rey ◽  
Albert Soret ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Mesoscale Model ◽  
Scale Model ◽  
Passenger Cars ◽  
Emission Standards ◽  
Light Duty Vehicles ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The City ◽  
The Eu

<div><span>Diesel light-duty-vehicles (LDV) largely exceed the Euro emission standards of nitrogen oxides (NO<sub>x</sub>) in real-world driving conditions. Air quality models at meso- and large-scale resolutions have recently been used to quantify the impact of such an emission excess upon air quality and human health. In this work, we argue that these approaches can significantly underestimate the impact of diesel LDV excess NO<sub>x</sub> emissions upon NO<sub>2</sub> pollution in compact and heavily trafficked cities. We design two modeling scenarios for the study: a business-as-usual scenario where diesel LDV emit NO<sub>x</sub> in excess, and a counterfactual scenario where emissions are compliant with the Euro emission standards. We compare then NO<sub>2</sub> concentrations of the air quality mesoscale model CALIOPE at both 4 km and 1 km resolution with the street-scale model CALIOPE-Urban in Barcelona city (Spain). The EU annual NO<sub>2</sub> limits are repeatedly exceeded in Barcelona where a large share of passenger cars are diesel (65 %). Results show that the street scale model is able to largely represent the observed NO<sub>2</sub> concentration gradients between traffic and background stations in the city in contrast to the mesoscale model. The mesoscale model strongly underestimates the impact of diesel LDV excess NO<sub>x</sub> emissions upon NO<sub>2</sub> pollution both in absolute terms (by 38 to 48 %) and relative terms (by 10 to 35 %). Using the street scale model, we find that diesel LDV excess NO<sub>x</sub> emissions are associated with about 20 % of NO<sub>2</sub> levels in the city, contributing to an increase of citizens exposed to levels above the EU annual NO<sub>2</sub> limits of 15%.</span></div>

scholarly journals The impact of China's vehicle emissions on regional air quality in 2000 and 2020: a scenario analysis

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 13141-13192 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Saikawa ◽  
J. Kurokawa ◽  
M. Takigawa ◽  
D. L. Mauzerall ◽  
L. W. Horowitz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Vehicle Emissions ◽  
Road Transport ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Vehicle Emission ◽  
Mixing Ratios ◽  
Emission Standards ◽  
Regional Air Quality ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Surface O3

Abstract. The number of vehicles in China has been increasing rapidly. We evaluate the impact of current and possible future vehicle emissions from China on Asian air quality. We modify the Regional Emission Inventory in Asia (REAS) for China's road transport sector in 2000 using updated Chinese data for vehicle numbers, annual mileage and emission factors. We develop two scenarios for 2020: a scenario where emission factors remain the same as they were before any regulation was implemented (business-as-usual, BAU), and a scenario where Euro 3 vehicle emission standards are applied to all vehicles (except motorcycles and rural vehicles). The Euro 3 scenario is an approximation of what may be the case in 2020 as, starting in 2008, all new gasoline and diesel vehicles in China (except motorcycles) were required to meet the Euro 3 emission standards. Using the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF/Chem), we examine the regional air quality response to China's vehicle emissions in 2000 and in 2020 for the BAU and Euro 3 scenarios. We evaluate the 2000 model results with observations in Japan, China, Korea, and Russia. Under BAU in 2020, emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), black carbon (BC) and organic carbon (OC) from China's vehicles more than double compared to the 2000 baseline. If all vehicles meet the Euro 3 regulations in 2020, however, these emissions are reduced by more than 50% relative to BAU. The implementation of stringent vehicle emission standards leads to a large, simultaneous reduction of the surface ozone (O3) mixing ratios and particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations. In the Euro 3 scenario, surface O3 is reduced by more than 10 ppbv and surface PM2.5 is reduced by more than 10 μg m−3 relative to BAU in Northeast China in all seasons. In spring, surface O3 mixing ratios and PM2.5 concentrations in neighboring countries are also reduced by more than 3 ppbv and 1 μg m−3, respectively. We find that effective regulation of China's road transport sector will be of significant benefit for air quality both within China and across East Asia as well.

scholarly journals The impact of China's vehicle emissions on regional air quality in 2000 and 2020: a scenario analysis

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (18) ◽  
pp. 9465-9484 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Saikawa ◽  
J. Kurokawa ◽  
M. Takigawa ◽  
J. Borken-Kleefeld ◽  
D. L. Mauzerall ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Vehicle Emissions ◽  
Road Transport ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
Vehicle Emission ◽  
Mixing Ratios ◽  
Emission Standards ◽  
Regional Air Quality ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Surface O3

Abstract. The number of vehicles in China has been increasing rapidly. We evaluate the impact of current and possible future vehicle emissions from China on Asian air quality. We modify the Regional Emission Inventory in Asia (REAS) for China's road transport sector in 2000 using updated Chinese data for the number of vehicles, annual mileage, and emission factors. We develop two scenarios for 2020: a scenario where emission factors remain the same as they were in 2000 (No-Policy, NoPol), and a scenario where Euro 3 vehicle emission standards are applied to all vehicles (except motorcycles and rural vehicles). The Euro 3 scenario is an approximation of what may be the case in 2020 as, starting in 2008, all new vehicles in China (except motorcycles) were required to meet the Euro 3 emission standards. Using the Weather Research and Forecasting model coupled with Chemistry (WRF/Chem), we examine the regional air quality response to China's vehicle emissions in 2000 and in 2020 for the NoPol and Euro 3 scenarios. We evaluate the 2000 model results with observations in Japan, China, Korea, and Russia. Under NoPol in 2020, emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), black carbon (BC), and organic carbon (OC) from China's vehicles more than double compared to the 2000 baseline. If all vehicles meet the Euro 3 regulations in 2020, however, these emissions are reduced by more than 50% relative to NoPol. The implementation of stringent vehicle emission standards leads to a large, simultaneous reduction of the surface ozone (O3) mixing ratios and particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations. In the Euro 3 scenario, surface O3 is reduced by more than 10 ppbv and surface PM2.5 is reduced by more than 10 μg m−3 relative to NoPol in Northeast China in all seasons. In spring, surface O3 mixing ratios and PM2.5 concentrations in neighboring countries are also reduced by more than 3 ppbv and 1 μg m−3, respectively. We find that effective regulation of China's road transport sector will be of significant benefit for air quality both within China and across East Asia as well.

Application of Electron Optics to Characterization of Particulate Pollutants

1972 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 364-365
Author(s):  
J. B. Moran ◽  
J. L. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Quality Standards ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Hazardous Substances ◽  
Fuel Additives ◽  
Ambient Air Quality ◽  
Air Quality Standards ◽  
Emission Standards ◽  
Stationary Sources ◽  
Ambient Air Quality Standards

The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1970 provide the basis for a dramatic change in Federal air quality programs. The Act establishes new standards for motor vehicles and requires EPA to establish national ambient air quality standards, standards of performance for new stationary sources of pollution, and standards for stationary sources emitting hazardous substances. Further, it establishes procedures which allow states to set emission standards for existing sources in order to achieve national ambient air quality standards. The Act also permits the Administrator of EPA to register fuels and fuel additives and to regulate the use of motor vehicle fuels or fuel additives which pose a hazard to public health or welfare.National air quality standards for particulate matter have been established. Asbestos, mercury, and beryllium have been designated as hazardous air pollutants for which Federal emission standards have been proposed.

The Consequences of Excessive Chemicalization on Fruits Quality

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 1303-1308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Alexandru Gitea ◽  
Simona Bungau ◽  
Daniela Gitea ◽  
Lavinia Purza ◽  
Sebastian Nemeth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Pesticide Residues ◽  
Chemical Engineering ◽  
Agricultural Productivity ◽  
Fruit Trees ◽  
Pesticide Treatment ◽  
Intensive Intervention ◽  
Optimal Efficiency ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Intensive System

Chemistry in agriculture has been considered for several decades a formula synonymous with progress and development, as chemical engineering, mechanization, irrigation, modern agro-technical processes have contributed to a substantial increase in production. At present, the use of pesticides to increase agricultural productivity is considered to be a global hazard to the environment. This study examines changes in tree tolerance for major diseases and pests, disease and pest behavior, and the changes that occur in the recommended pesticide treatment. The researches were carried out on different species of fruit trees (apple, plum, and almond), cultivated in an intensive system, in five orchards located in Bihor county. The behavior of each species, as well as the behavior of different varieties with respect to tolerance to major diseases and pests, have been observed over the last 5 years (2013-2017). In addition, pesticide residues were monitored from all crops of apple, plum and almond. During 2015-2017, from March to May, the diseases were more virulent, requiring intensive intervention with systemic and contact fungicide combinations to achieve optimal efficiency; this fact has been correlated with the increase in the number of samples containing pesticide residues. This perspective allows an ecological remodeling of current progress in orchard development, including all aspects of environmental protection and the impact on population2 s health.

scholarly journals The impact of measures to reduce ambient air PM<sub>10</sub> concentrations originating from road dust, evaluated for a street canyon in Helsinki

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (17) ◽  
pp. 11199-11212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Stojiljkovic ◽  
Mari Kauhaniemi ◽  
Jaakko Kukkonen ◽  
Kaarle Kupiainen ◽  
Ari Karppinen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Particulate Matter ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Street Canyon ◽  
Dust Emission ◽  
Road Dust ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Air Quality Measurements ◽  
Emission Models ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Quality Measurements

Abstract. We have numerically evaluated how effective selected potential measures would be for reducing the impact of road dust on ambient air particulate matter (PM10). The selected measures included a reduction of the use of studded tyres on light-duty vehicles and a reduction of the use of salt or sand for traction control. We have evaluated these measures for a street canyon located in central Helsinki for four years (2007–2009 and 2014). Air quality measurements were conducted in the street canyon for two years, 2009 and 2014. Two road dust emission models, NORTRIP (NOn-exhaust Road TRaffic Induced Particle emissions) and FORE (Forecasting Of Road dust Emissions), were applied in combination with the Operational Street Pollution Model (OSPM), a street canyon dispersion model, to compute the street increments of PM10 (i.e. the fraction of PM10 concentration originating from traffic emissions at the street level) within the street canyon. The predicted concentrations were compared with the air quality measurements. Both road dust emission models reproduced the seasonal variability of the PM10 concentrations fairly well but under-predicted the annual mean values. It was found that the largest reductions of concentrations could potentially be achieved by reducing the fraction of vehicles that use studded tyres. For instance, a 30 % decrease in the number of vehicles using studded tyres would result in an average decrease in the non-exhaust street increment of PM10 from 10 % to 22 %, depending on the model used and the year considered. Modelled contributions of traction sand and salt to the annual mean non-exhaust street increment of PM10 ranged from 4 % to 20 % for the traction sand and from 0.1 % to 4 % for the traction salt. The results presented here can be used to support the development of optimal strategies for reducing high springtime particulate matter concentrations originating from road dust.

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