Air Quality, Health, and Equity Benefits of Carbon Neutrality and Clean Air Pathways in China
In the pursuit of carbon neutrality, China's 2060 targets have been largely anchored in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, with less emphasis on the consequential benefits for air quality and public health. This study pivots to this critical nexus, exploring how China's carbon neutrality aligns with the World Health Organization's air quality guidelines (WHO AQG) regarding fine particulate matter (PM<sub>2.5</sub>) exposure. Coupling a technology-rich integrated assessment model, an emission-concentration response surface model, and exposure and health assessment, we find that decarbonization reduces sulfur dioxide (SO<sub>2</sub>), nitrogen oxides (NO<sub><i>x</i></sub>), and PM<sub>2.5</sub> emissions by more than 90%; reduces nonmethane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) by more than 50%; and simultaneously reduces the disparities across regions. Critically, our analysis reveals that further targeted reductions in air pollutants, notably NH<sub>3</sub> and non-energy-related NMVOCs, could bring most Chinese cities into attainment of WHO AQG for PM<sub>2.5</sub> 5 to 10 years earlier than the pathway focused solely on carbon neutrality. Thus, the integration of air pollution control measures into carbon neutrality strategies will present a significant opportunity for China to attain health and environmental equality.
Authors
- Yueqi Jiang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7900-3084)
- Xi Lu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5063-3776)
- Bin Zhao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8438-9188)
- Daniel H. Loughlin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5102-3507)
- Zbigniew Klimont (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2630-198X)
- Yisheng Sun
- Zhaoxin Dong
- Fenfen Zhang
- Kaiyun Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1659-3894)
- Lu Ren (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9731-8562)
- Sha Yu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2551-7458)
- Yang Ou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1889-6218)
- Shengyue Li
- Haotian Zheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6816-1597)
- Dian Ding (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5691-335X)
- Jia Xing (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3716-8646)
- Haowen Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6191-0305)
- Jung‐Hun Woo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2515-8467)
- Shuxiao Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9727-1963)
- Siwei Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1593-6317)
- Qian Song (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9816-932X)
- Jiming Hao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-1050-2534)
Institutions
- Joint Global Change Research Institute (US)
- Environmental Protection Agency (US)
- Research Triangle Park Foundation (US)
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (AT)
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (US)
- Peking University (CN)
- Konkuk University (KR)
- Wuhan University (CN)
- State Key Joint Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control (CN)
- University of Maryland, College Park (US)
- Tsinghua University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Environmental Science & Technology
- Published
- 2024-08-12
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.3c10076
- Citations
- 27
- Primary Topic
- Air Quality and Health Impacts
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 8.50
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China