Environmental Effective Assessment of Control Measures Implemented by Clean Air Action Plan (2013–2017) in Beijing, China

The Beijing government initiated the Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP) in 2013. Through a series of actions to control air pollution, the emissions of major atmospheric pollutants are reduced to improve urban air quality. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of control measures taken to mitigate atmospheric pollution, we investigated and analyzed the implementation of the CAAP in Beijing from 2013 to 2017, estimating the corresponding reduction in emissions of major air pollutants. The contribution of different control measures to the improvement of air quality was quantified and the experiences of managing air pollution were summarized, which provided references for the continuous improvement of air quality in Beijing and the surrounding areas. The results showed that the emission of SO2, NOX, PM10, PM2.5, and VOCs from air pollution source have been decreased by 119,924, 116,091, 116,810, 46,652, and 97,267 tons after the implementation of the CAAP. The sum of these five air pollutants emissions have been reduced by 39% in 2017 compared with 2013, the largest decrease in SO2 emissions was 87%, which was related to the vigorous control on coal-fired combustion. The control measure with the greatest contribution to decreasing the ambient PM2.5 concentration was the clean energy transformation of coal-fired power plants, which contributed 27% of the total reduced concentration and 6.1 μg/m3 of the average PM2.5 concentration reduction in Beijing. Clean Residential coal use also significantly decreased the PM2.5 concentration by 5.4 μg/m3, which was 23% of the total reduction. In addition, the industrial restructuring and the management of automotive vehicle use and dust could also contribute to efficiently reducing the PM2.5 concentration by 4.0, 3.2, and 2.3 μg/m3, or 17%, 14%, and 10% of the total reduction, respectively. Due to the implementation of control measures of Clean Air Action Plan, the energy and industrial structure of Beijing have been adjusted and optimized, leading to the reduction of pollutant emissions, which is the secret of urban long-term air quality improvement.

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Assessment of the Effect of the Three-Year Action Plan to Fight Air Pollution on Air Quality and Associated Health Benefits in Sichuan Basin, China

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su131910968 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (19) ◽

pp. 10968

Author(s):

Juihui Chen ◽

Xiaoqiong Feng ◽

Yonghui Zhu ◽

Ling Huang ◽

Min He ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Pollution Control ◽

Emission Reduction ◽

Sichuan Basin ◽

Action Plan ◽

Control Measures ◽

Air Pollution Control ◽

Premature Deaths ◽

Pm2.5 Concentration

To continuously improve air quality, after implementation of the “Clean Air Action Plan, 2013–2017” (CAAP), the “Three-year Action Plan to Fight Air Pollution” (TYP) was further conducted from 2018 to 2020. However, the effectiveness of the TYP remains unclear in one of the major city-clusters of China, the Sichuan Basin. In this study, the bottom-up method was used to quantify the emission reduction during TYP based on the emissions inventory in Sichuan Basin in 2017 and the air pollution control measures adopted from 2018 to 2020 in each city. The reduction of PM2.5 concentration and the avoided premature deaths due to implementation of air pollution control measures were assessed by using an integrated meteorology and air quality modeling system and a concentration-response algorithm. Emissions of SO2, NOx, PM2.5, and VOCs in the Sichuan Basin have been reduced by 42.6, 105.2, 40.2, and 136.6 Gg, respectively. The control of non-electricity industry contributed significantly to the emission reduction of all pollutants, accounting for 26–49%. In addition, the control of mobile sources contributes the most to NOx reductions, accounting for 57%. The results illustrate that the focus of air pollution control in Sichuan Basin is still industrial sources. We also found that the emission reduction of NOx, PM2.5, and VOCs in Chengdu is significantly higher than that of other cities, which were about 3.4~15.4 times, 2.2~40.1 times, and 4.3~24.4 times that of other cities, respectively. In Sichuan Basin, the average reduction rate of PM2.5 concentration due to air pollution control measures was 5% on average, with the highest contributions from industry, mobile source, and dust emission control. The decrease rate in each city ranges between 1~10%, and the decreasing ratios in Dazhou (10%), Chengdu (8%), and Zigong (7%) are relatively higher. The number of premature deaths avoided due to air pollution control measures in Sichuan Basin is estimated to be 22,934. Chengdu and Dazhou have benefitted most from the air pollution control measures, with 6043 and 2713 premature deaths avoided, respectively. Our results indicate that the implementation of TYP has achieved remarkable environmental and health benefits.

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Effectiveness of SOx, NOx, and Primary Particulate Matter Control Strategies in the Improvement of Ambient PM Concentration in Taiwan

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos12040460 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 460

Author(s):

Jiun-Horng Tsai ◽

Ming-Ye Lee ◽

Hung-Lung Chiang

Keyword(s):

Particulate Matter ◽

Air Quality ◽

Model Simulation ◽

Control Strategies ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Clean Air Act ◽

Control Measures ◽

Control Plan ◽

Clean Air ◽

Pm2.5 Concentration

The Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) measurement was employed for evaluating the effectiveness of fine particulate matter control strategies in Taiwan. There are three scenarios as follows: (I) the 2014 baseline year emission, (II) 2020 emissions reduced via the Clean Air Act (CAA), and (III) other emissions reduced stringently via the Clean Air Act. Based on the Taiwan Emission Data System (TEDs) 8.1, established in 2014, the emission of particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) was 73.5 thousand tons y−1, that of SOx was 121.3 thousand tons y−1, and that of NOx was 404.4 thousand tons y−1 in Taiwan. The CMAQ model simulation indicated that the PM2.5 concentration was 21.9 μg m−3. This could be underestimated by 24% in comparison with data from the ambient air quality monitoring stations of the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration (TEPA). The results of the simulation of the PM2.5 concentration showed high PM2.5 concentrations in central and southwestern Taiwan, especially in Taichung and Kaohsiung. Compared to scenario I, the average annual concentrations of PM2.5 for scenario II and scenario III showed reductions of 20.1% and 28.8%, respectively. From the results derived from the simulation, it can be seen that control of NOx emissions may improve daily airborne PM2.5 concentrations in Taiwan significantly and control of directly emitted PM2.5 emissions may improve airborne PM2.5 concentrations each month. Nevertheless, the results reveal that the preliminary control plan could not achievethe air quality standard. Therefore, the efficacy and effectiveness of the control measures must be considered to better reduce emissions in the future.

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Clean air in the Anthropocene

Faraday Discussions ◽

10.1039/c7fd90032e ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 200 ◽

pp. 693-703 ◽

Cited By ~ 18

Author(s):

Jos Lelieveld

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Sustainable Development ◽

Air Quality ◽

Human Health ◽

Atmospheric Chemistry ◽

Clean Energy ◽

Atmospheric Composition ◽

Anthropogenic Sources ◽

Years Of Life Lost ◽

Clean Air

In atmospheric chemistry, interactions between air pollution, the biosphere and human health, often through reaction mixtures from both natural and anthropogenic sources, are of growing interest. Massive pollution emissions in the Anthropocene have transformed atmospheric composition to the extent that biogeochemical cycles, air quality and climate have changed globally and partly profoundly. It is estimated that mortality attributable to outdoor air pollution amounts to 4.33 million individuals per year, associated with 123 million years of life lost. Worldwide, air pollution is the major environmental risk factor to human health, and strict air quality standards have the potential to strongly reduce morbidity and mortality. Preserving clean air should be considered a human right, and is fundamental to many sustainable development goals of the United Nations, such as good health, climate action, sustainable cities, clean energy, and protecting life on land and in the water. It would be appropriate to adopt “clean air” as a sustainable development goal.

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Using Costs and Health Benefits to Estimate the Priority of Air Pollution Control Action Plan: A Case Study in Taiwan

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app10175970 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (17) ◽

pp. 5970

Author(s):

Hsin-Chih Lai ◽

Min-Chuan Hsiao ◽

Je-Liang Liou ◽

Li-Wei Lai ◽

Pei-Chih Wu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Pollution Control ◽

Action Plan ◽

Health Benefits ◽

Control Measures ◽

Cost Ratio ◽

Air Pollution Control ◽

Kriging Method ◽

Quality Modeling

A comparative analysis was conducted between the costs and health benefits of the Air Pollution Control Action Plan (APCAP), which can be implemented in any country to improve air quality and human health. In this study, air quality modeling was used to simulate several scenarios and implement the Kriging method to describe the PM2.5 reduction concentration instantly. Then, health benefits were estimated using the environmental benefit mapping and analysis program (BenMAP) with results from the air quality modeling and Kriging method. To estimate the priority of APCAP, 14 pollution control measures that cover point, mobile, and area sources of air pollution in Taiwan were analyzed. The results indicate that the health benefits of the Taiwan APCAP (TAPCAP) are generally greater than the technical costs. Thus, the implementation of this strategy may result in net benefits. In addition, the benefit-to-control cost ratio for health for the 14 pollution control measures was calculated. The results provide evidence to prioritize the implementation of air quality policies with a higher benefit-cost ratio.

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Spatio-Temporal Variations of Multiple Primary Air Pollutants Emissions in Beijing of China, 2006–2015

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos10090494 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 494 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yifeng Xue ◽

Shihao Zhang ◽

Zhen Zhou ◽

Kun Wang ◽

Kaiyun Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Quality Improvement ◽

Air Quality ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Clean Energy ◽

Mitigation Measures ◽

Source Control ◽

Energy Structure ◽

Pollution Mitigation ◽

Air Quality Improvement

Air pollution in Beijing, China has attracted continuous worldwide public attention along with the rapid urbanization of the city. By implementing a set of air pollution mitigation measures, the air quality of Beijing has been gradually improved in recent years. In this study, the intrinsic factors leading to air quality improvement in Beijing are studied via a quantitative evaluation of the temporal and spatial changes in emissions of primary air pollutants over the past ten years. Based on detailed activity levels of each economic sector and a localized database containing source and pollutant specific emission factors, an integrated emissions inventory of primary air pollutants discharged from various sources between 2006 and 2015 is established. With the implementation of phased air pollution mitigation measures, and the Clean Air Action Plan, the original coal-dominated energy structure in Beijing has undergone tremendous changes, resulting in the substantial reduction of multiple air pollutants. The total of emissions of six major atmospheric pollutants (PM10, PM2.5, SO2, NOX, VOCs and NH3) in Beijing decreased by 35% in 2015 compared to 2006—this noticeable decrease was well consistent with the declining trend of ambient concentration of criterion air pollutants (SO2, PM10, PM2.5 and NO2) and air quality improvement, thus showing a good correlation between the emission of air pollutants and the outcome of air quality. SO2 emission declined the most, at about 71.7%, which was related to the vigorous promotion of combustion source control, such as the shutdown of coal-fired facilities and domestic stoves and transition to clean energy, like natural gas or electricity. Emissions of PM decreased considerably (by 48%) due to energy structure optimization, industrial structure adjustments, and end-of-pipe PM source control. In general, NOX, NH3, and VOCs decreased relatively slightly, by 25%, 14%, and 2%, respectively, and accordingly, they represented the limiting factors for improving air quality and the key points of air pollution mitigation in Beijing for the future.

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Assessing the impact of clean air action on air quality trends in Beijing using a machine learning technique

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-19-11303-2019 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 19 (17) ◽

pp. 11303-11314 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Tuan V. Vu ◽

Zongbo Shi ◽

Jing Cheng ◽

Qiang Zhang ◽

Kebin He ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Machine Learning ◽

Air Quality ◽

Action Plan ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Meteorological Conditions ◽

Assessment Process ◽

Pollutant Emissions ◽

Ambient Air Quality ◽

Clean Air ◽

The Impact

Abstract. A 5-year Clean Air Action Plan was implemented in 2013 to reduce air pollutant emissions and improve ambient air quality in Beijing. Assessment of this action plan is an essential part of the decision-making process to review its efficacy and to develop new policies. Both statistical and chemical transport modelling have been previously applied to assess the efficacy of this action plan. However, inherent uncertainties in these methods mean that new and independent methods are required to support the assessment process. Here, we applied a machine-learning-based random forest technique to quantify the effectiveness of Beijing's action plan by decoupling the impact of meteorology on ambient air quality. Our results demonstrate that meteorological conditions have an important impact on the year-to-year variations in ambient air quality. Further analyses show that the PM2.5 mass concentration would have broken the target of the plan (2017 annual PM2.5<60 µg m−3) were it not for the meteorological conditions in winter 2017 favouring the dispersion of air pollutants. However, over the whole period (2013–2017), the primary emission controls required by the action plan have led to significant reductions in PM2.5, PM10, NO2, SO2, and CO from 2013 to 2017 of approximately 34 %, 24 %, 17 %, 68 %, and 33 %, respectively, after meteorological correction. The marked decrease in PM2.5 and SO2 is largely attributable to a reduction in coal combustion. Our results indicate that the action plan has been highly effective in reducing the primary pollution emissions and improving air quality in Beijing. The action plan offers a successful example for developing air quality policies in other regions of China and other developing countries.

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Influence of Meteorological Variables on Ambient Air Pollutants of a Coastal District in Eastern India

Oriental Journal Of Chemistry ◽

10.13005/ojc/370127 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 37 (1) ◽

pp. 194-203

Author(s):

SS Kalikinkar Mahanta ◽

Sharada Shrinivas Patil ◽

Bhagirathi Mahanta ◽

Kushalindu Biswas ◽

Rojalin Sahu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Meteorological Parameters ◽

Winter Season ◽

Pollution Index ◽

Ambient Air ◽

Data Sets ◽

Air Pollution Index ◽

Clean Air ◽

Pm2.5 Concentration

The study of various air pollutants and meteorological parameters are very important for all the researchers. Baleswar was known to be a seaside Districts of Odisha which is the economic and cultural heart of Northern Odisha. The aim of this study is to measure the air pollutants, meteorological parameters and to enumerate the air pollution index at three specific sites (Sahadevkhunta, Mallikashpur, Rasalpur) according to CPCB procedures. The air pollutants analysed by supplying through specific absorbing reagents and the pollutants were analysed up to 3 year (2017, 2018 and 2019) with a regularity of thrice per week. Analyses of our data sets showing that SO2 and NO2 concentration during summer, rainy and winter season are within the prescribe standard of NAAQS by CPCB but PM10 and PM2.5 are above the prescribed standard except PM2.5 concentration of rainy season in year 2019. Air pollution index is remaining in the condition between clean air (CA) to moderate air pollution (MAP) and it shows that the pollution index in all the sites are reducing from the year 2017 to 2019 may be due to enhancing technologies to reduce the pollutant concentration in air.

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The Influence of the New National Clean Air Law on the PM2.5 Air Pollution in the Campus of the UMPh Tirgu Mures During the Implementation of the Smoke-free University Project

Revista de Chimie ◽

10.37358/rc.17.8.5773 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 68 (8) ◽

pp. 1820-1824

Author(s):

Eniko Nemes Nagy ◽

Preg Zoltan ◽

Laszlo Mihaly Imre ◽

Septimiu Voidazan ◽

Zita Fazakas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Smoking Ban ◽

University Campus ◽

Public Places ◽

Clean Air ◽

Medical University ◽

Exposure To Secondhand Smoke ◽

Unique Program ◽

Pm2.5 Concentration

Measurement of PM2.5 concentration is a widely used marker of air pollution, including exposure to secondhand smoke. The tobacco smoking ban in March 2016 prohibited smoking in all confined public places in Romania, which should lower the exposure to PM2.5 if well-implemented and enforced. Our research team started in 2014 a unique program in Romania to implement a smoke-free medical university project. The aim of this study was monitoring the air quality based on PM2.5 measurements prior and after the ban. PM2.5 air pollution was measured prior to and after the ban in five buildings of the campus of University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Tirgu Mures: the main educational building and four student dormitories. Measurement was obtained using the Aerosol Monitor Side Pak AM 510. We observed significantly improved air quality (p[0.0001) in each building, with the most radical changes recorded in two student dormitories: from very unhealthy levels of exposure prior to the ban (exceeding 170-185 �g/m�) to the unhealthy for sensitive groups (40 �g/m�) and moderate air pollution (under 20 �g/m�) after the ban. In the main educational building the PM2.5 concentration decreased from moderate pollution to very close to the threshold of good air quality. The decrease in air pollution of our university campus is likely due to the new legislation banning indoor smoking and the result of our smoke-free university project. However, despite improvements, PM2.5was not eliminated and needs continued efforts to enforce the ban particularly in student dormitories.

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Air Quality Change in Seoul, South Korea under COVID-19 Social Distancing: Focusing on PM2.5

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17176208 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (17) ◽

pp. 6208 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Beom-Soon Han ◽

Kyeongjoo Park ◽

Kyung-Hwan Kwak ◽

Seung-Bu Park ◽

Han-Gyul Jin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Quality ◽

South Korea ◽

Air Pollutants ◽

Fine Particulate Matter ◽

Pollutant Emissions ◽

Social Distancing ◽

Synoptic Conditions ◽

Range Transport ◽

Before And After ◽

Pm2.5 Concentration

Seoul, the most populous city in South Korea, has been practicing social distancing to slow down the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and other air pollutants measured in Seoul over the two 30 day periods before and after the start of social distancing are analyzed to assess the change in air quality during the period of social distancing. The 30 day mean PM2.5 concentration decreased by 10.4% in 2020, which is contrasted with an average increase of 23.7% over the corresponding periods in the previous 5 years. The PM2.5 concentration decrease was city-wide and more prominent during daytime than at nighttime. The concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) decreased by 16.9% and 16.4%, respectively. These results show that social distancing, a weaker forcing toward reduced human activity than a strict lockdown, can help lower pollutant emissions. At the same time, synoptic conditions and the decrease in aerosol optical depth over the regions to the west of Seoul support that the change in Seoul’s air quality during the COVID-19 social distancing can be interpreted as having been affected by reductions in the long-range transport of air pollutants as well as local emission reductions.

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Natural gas shortages during the “coal-to-gas” transition in China have caused a large redistribution of air pollution in winter 2017

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-15706 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Siwen Wang ◽

Hang Su ◽

Chuchu Chen ◽

Wei Tao ◽

David Streets ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Air Pollution ◽

Air Quality ◽

Natural Gas ◽

Southern China ◽

Clean Energy ◽

Control Measures ◽

Mitigation Measures ◽

Grand Challenge ◽

Low Carbon ◽

Coal Consumption

Improving air quality is an important driving force for China&#8217;s move toward clean energy. Since 2017, the &#8220;coal-to-gas&#8221; and &#8220;coal-to-electricity&#8221; strategies have been extensively implemented in northern China, aiming at reducing dispersed coal consumption and related air pollution by promoting the use of clean and low-carbon fuels. Our analyses show that on top of meteorological influences, the effective emission mitigation measures achieved an average decrease of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations of &#8764;14% in Beijing and surrounding areas (the &#8220;2+26&#8221; pilot cities) in winter 2017 compared to the same period of 2016, where the dispersed coal control measures contributed &#8764;60% of the total PM2.5 reductions. However, the localized air quality improvement was accompanied by a contemporaneous &#8764;15% upsurge of PM2.5 concentrations over large areas in southern China. We find that the pollution transfer that resulted from a shift in emissions was of a high likelihood caused by a natural gas shortage in the south due to the coal-to-gas transition in the north. The overall shortage of natural gas greatly jeopardized the air quality benefits of the coal-to-gas strategy in winter 2017 and reflects structural challenges and potential threats in China&#8217;s clean-energy transition. Our finding highlights the importance and necessity of synergy between environmental and energy policymaking to address the grand challenge of an actionable future to achieve the cobenefits of air quality, human health, and climate.

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