An integrated assessment of regional air pollution and climate change in Europe: findings of the AIR-CLIM Project

This paper presents results of an assessment of the linkages between regional air pollution and climate change in Europe (the AIR-CLIM Project). The main research tool was an integrated modeling framework and the main product was a consistent set of long-term scenarios covering Europe between 1995 and 2100. Scenarios consisted of trends in emissions, acid deposition, nitrogen deposition and climate change. Critical loads and critical levels were used to assess the impacts of deposition to forest soils and a new analogous concept of “critical climate change” was developed to assess the impacts of climate change. Taking into consideration the limitations of the scope and models used in the study, preliminary conclusions were: (1) regional air pollution and climate change may be fairly weakly coupled in the natural environment, i.e. climate change was not found to have a large impact on the sensitivity of forest ecosystems to regional air pollution, nor on the distribution of deposition; nor did regional air pollution (in the form of sulfate aerosols) have a significant impact on climate change in Europe; (2) however, regional air pollution and climate change may be strongly coupled in the “policy” environment. It was estimated that virtually all of Europe at mid-century might be affected by either regional air pollution or climate change, or both, and this will require a strong policy response. Moreover, the indirect effects of climate policies were found to reduce the costs of controlling air pollution emissions by more than 50%, suggesting a strong potential financial linkage between policies to reduce greenhouse gas and air pollution emissions.     

Moving towards ambitious climate policies: Monetised health benefits from improved air quality could offset mitigation costs in Europe

Air quality and related health effects are not only affected by policies directly addressed at air pollution but also by other environmental strategies such as climate mitigation. This study addresses how different climate policy pathways indirectly bear upon air pollution in terms of improved human health in Europe. To this end, we put in perspective mitigation costs and monetised health benefits of reducing PM_2.5 (particles less than 2.5 μm in diameter) and ozone concentrations.Air quality in Europe and related health impacts were assessed using a comprehensive modelling chain, based on global and regional climate and chemistry-transport models together with a health impact assessment tool. This allows capturing both the impact of climate policy on emissions of air pollutants and the geophysical impact of climate change on air quality.Results are presented for projections at the 2050 horizon, for a set of consistent air pollution and climate policy scenarios, combined with population data from the UN's World Population Prospects, and are expressed in terms of morbidity and mortality impacts of PM_2.5 and ozone pollution and their monetised damage equivalent.The analysis shows that enforcement of current European air quality policies would effectively reduce health impacts from PM_2.5 in Europe even in the absence of climate policies (life years lost from the exposure to PM_2.5 decrease by 78% between 2005 and 2050 in the reference scenario), while impacts for ozone depend on the ambition level of international climate policies. A move towards stringent climate policies on a global scale, in addition to limiting global warming, creates co-benefits in terms of reduced health impacts (68% decrease in life years lost from the exposure to PM_2.5 and 85% decrease in premature deaths from ozone in 2050 in the mitigation scenario relative to the reference scenario) and air pollution cost savings (77%) in Europe. These co-benefits are found to offset at least 85% of the additional cost of climate policy in this region.     

Long-term reductions in costs of controlling regional air pollution in Europe due to climate policy

This paper examines to what extent climate change policies will alter the effectiveness of agreed-upon or future policies to reduce regional air pollution in Europe and vice versa. And when is it cost-effective to combat regional air pollution with clean technology instead of add-on technology?For this exercise, several extensions were made to the energy model TIMER, to introduce add-on abatement technologies, specified in terms of costs and reduction potentials, in order to be able to calculate cost-effective emission reduction strategies for different scenarios and regions.The results show that add-on technologies to reduce regional air pollution remain necessary throughout the century. The costs to reach the NO_x emission reduction targets in Europe are about three times as high as for SO₂. Mitigation costs averaged over the century by add-on technologies can be reduced by climate measures by 50–70% for SO₂ and around 50% for NO_x. The costs of SO₂ and NO_x mitigation by add-on technology in a world without climate policy are comparable or in some periods even higher than the costs of an integrated mitigation of SO₂, NO_x and CO₂ emissions if a reduction of specific costs by learning is, in contrast with energy technologies, not assumed for abatement technologies. So, the costs of SO₂ and NO_x add-on measures avoided by climate policies can outweigh the costs of these climate measures. The total annual costs are in the order of 1 or 2% of the present GDP, depending on the scenario.     

Climate-driven changes in air quality over Europe by the end of the 21st century,with special reference to Portugal

Climate change alone may deeply impact air quality levels in the atmosphere because the changes in the meteorological conditions will induce changes on the transport, dispersion and transformation of air pollutants. The aim of this work was to evaluate the impact of climate change on the air quality over Europe and Portugal, using a reference year (year 1990) and a IPCC SRES A2 year (year 2100). The Hadley Centre global atmospheric circulation model (HadAM3P) was used to provide results for these two climatic scenarios, which were then used as synoptic forcing for the MM5-CHIMERE air quality modelling system. In order to assess the contribution of future climate change on O₃ and PM concentrations, no changes in regional emissions were assumed and only climate change forcing was considered. The modelling results suggest that the O₃ monthly mean levels in the atmosphere may increase almost 50 μg m^?3 across Europe in July under the IPCC SRES A2 scenario. In Portugal, this increase may reach 20 μg m^?3. The changes of PM10 monthly average values over Europe will depend on the region. The increase in PM10 concentrations during specific months could be explained by the average reduction of the boundary layer height and wind speed.     

Estimation of climate change influence on the sensitivity of trees in Europe to air pollution concentrations

This paper describes the results of combining several simple models to assess the changes in plant sensitivity to direct effects of gaseous air pollutants that result from changes in climatic conditions. This research has been carried out within the framework of a project on the integrated assessment of regional air pollution and climate change in Europe (AIR-CLIM). The modulation of plant sensitivity to gaseous pollutants has been studied using a model of stomatal conductance that simulates the flow of water vapor from the atmosphere to the plant interior through the stomata. The model has been applied to Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.). The critical atmospheric concentration levels for SO₂ and NO_x adopted in international environmental norms have been modified to maintain in different climate scenarios a concentration level inside the plant equivalent to the critical limit in 1990. These simulated critical concentrations are compared with the predicted atmospheric concentrations. Our work indicates that the response can be very different for the two types of forests and in different regions. In general, climate change sensitivity increases in boreal areas and decreases in temperate areas due to temperature and water stress. If the air pollution levels are in the predicted ranges, the problems are less severe now than in 1990, but the cumulative stress will still be significant.     

Climate and air quality-driven scenarios of ozone and aerosol precursor abatement

In addition to causing domestic and regional environmental effects, many air pollutants contribute to radiative forcing (RF) of the climate system. However, climate effects are not considered when cost-effective abatement targets for these pollutants are established, nor are they included in current international climate agreements. We construct air pollution abatement scenarios in 2030 which target cost-effective reductions in RF in the EU, USA, and China and compare these to abatement scenarios which instead target regional ozone effects and particulate matter concentrations. Our analysis covers emissions of PM (fine, black carbon and organic carbon), SO₂, NO_x, CH₄, VOCs, and CO. We find that the effect synergies are strong for PM/BC, VOC, CO and CH₄. While an air quality strategy targeted at reducing ozone will also reduce RF, this will not be the case for a strategy targeting particulate matter. Abatement in China dominates RF reduction, but there are cheap abatement options also available in the EU and USA. The justification for international cooperation on air quality issues is underlined when the co-benefits of reduced RF are considered. Some species, most importantly SO₂, contribute a negative forcing on climate. We suggest that given current knowledge, NO_x and SO₂ should be ignored in RF-targeted abatement policies.     

Air pollution policies in Europe: efficiency gains from integrating climate effects with damage costs to health and crops

Emissions of air pollutants cause damage to health and crops, but several air pollutants also have an effect on climate through radiative forcing. We investigate efficiency gains achieved by integrating climate impacts of air pollutants into air quality strategies for the EU region. The pollutants included in this study are SO₂, NH₃, VOC, CO, NO_x, black carbon, organic carbon, PM_2.5, and CH₄. We illustrate the relative importance of climate change effects compared to damage to health and crops, as well as monetary gains of including climate change contributions. The analysis considers marginal abatement costs and compares air quality and climate damage in Euros. We optimize abatement policies with respect to both climate and health impacts, which imply implementing all measures that yield a net benefit. The efficiency gains of the integrated policy are in the order of 2.5 billion Euros, compared to optimal abatement based on health and crop damage only, justifying increased abatement efforts of close to 50%. Climate effect of methane is the single most important factor. If climate change is considered on a 20- instead of a 100-year time-scale, the efficiency gain almost doubles. Our results indicate that air pollution policies should be supplemented with climate damage considerations.     

Air quality management in China: Issues, challenges, and options

This article analyzed the control progress and current status of air quality,identified the major air pollution issues and challenges in future,proposed the long-term air pollution control targets,and ...     

典型城市减污降碳协同控制潜力评价研究:以渭南市为例

我国已将应对气候变化全面融入国家经济社会发展的总战略,采取积极措施,有效控制重点工业行业温室气体排放,开展减污降碳协同研究对于城市实现大气环境质量改善与低碳转型发展具有重要意义. 本研究以国家大气污染防治重点区域——汾渭平原中渭南市为例,采用LMDI分解方法并运用LEAP模型,通过构建多种情景模拟分析污染减排、能源结构改善及产业结构调整等政策对渭南市未来能源消费、大气污染物减排潜力的影响,预测了该市碳达峰时间及峰值水平. 结果表明,能源结构改善、产业结构优化、交通运输调整具有显著的污染物与温室气体协同减排效果,而压减落后产能、工业炉窑改造、工业污染物排放标准升级等传统环境治理的潜力逐渐减小. 建议渭南市应积极推进产业结构优化升级、着力改善能源结构、加快推进交通运输结构优化,倒逼能源、产业、交通结构绿色低碳转型和生态环境质量协同改善,牵引经济社会发展全面绿色转型,实现减污降碳协同效应.      

Developing China's roadmap for air quality improvement: A review on technology development and future prospects

Air pollution control policies in China have been experiencing profound changes, highlighting a strategic transformation from total pollutant emission control to air quality improvement, along with the shifting targets starting from acid rain and NO_x emissions to PM_2.5 pollution, and then the emerging O₃ challenges. The marvelous achievements have been made with the dramatic decrease of SO₂ emission and fundamental improvement of PM_2.5 concentration. Despite these achievements, China has proposed Beautiful China target through 2035 and the goal of 2030 carbon peak and 2060 carbon neutrality, which impose stricter requirements on air quality and synergistic mitigation with Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Against this background, an integrated multi-objective and multi-benefit roadmap is required to provide decision support for China's long-term air quality improvement strategy. This paper systematically reviews the technical system for developing the air quality improvement roadmap, which was integrated from the research output of China's National Key R&D Program for Research on Atmospheric Pollution Factors and Control Technologies (hereafter Special NKP), covering mid- and long-term air quality target setting techniques, quantitative analysis techniques for emission reduction targets corresponding to air quality targets, and pathway optimization techniques for realizing reduction targets. The experience and lessons derived from the reviews have implications for the reformation of China's air quality improvement roadmap in facing challenges of synergistic mitigation of PM_2.5 and O₃, and the coupling with climate change mitigation.     

基于能源-环境情景模拟的北京市大气污染对居民健康风险评价研究

保护居民健康是北京市能源系统优化管理和大气污染治理的重要目标.本研究基于北京市的社会经济发展目标并结合相关节能减排和环保要求,针对全市2010-2020年间的能源消费分别设计了高、中、低3种约束情景,通过LEAP模型预测了全市至2020年的能源消费量与S02、NOx、PM10和PM2.5等4种主要大气污染物的排放强度,并采用泊松回归模型对3种情景下主城区居民受环境空气中这4种大气污染物的暴露危害所导致的健康风险进行了评估.结果显示:相对低约束情景,高约束情景至2020年可避免与S02、NOx、PM10和PM2.5污染相关的死亡危害分别为2663、6359、4720和4104人·a-1,而且在高约束情景下煤炭消费比重每下降1％,可相应地避免约1400人·a-1的污染急性死亡.由此建议北京市实施更加严格的节能和减排措施,严控煤炭消费总量,进一步优化能源结构,最大程度地降低能源消费导致的大气污染所产生的居民健康风险.     

A policy review of synergies and trade-offs in South African climate change mitigation and air pollution control strategies

Climate change mitigation and air quality management are mostly addressed separately in South African legal acts and policies. This approach is not always coherent, especially in the context of other serious issues South Africa is facing, such as poverty alleviation. Policies implemented to mitigate climate change might increase negative health affects due to unanticipated outcomes (e.g. increased local air pollution), and these indirect consequences must therefore be taken into account when devising mitigation strategies. However, greenhouse gas mitigation policies can also have co-benefits and positive impacts on local air pollution. An evidence-based approach that takes into account greenhouse gas emissions, ambient air pollutants, economic factors (affordability, cost optimisation), social factors (poverty alleviations, public health benefits), and political acceptability is needed tackle these challenges. A proposal is made that use of an integrated climate/air pollution techno-economic optimising model, such as the Greenhouse Gas and Air Pollution Synergies (GAINS) model, may provide a rational decision support tool to guide policy makers into effective strategies for combined Climate Change and Air Quality mitigation measures.     

Vehicle emissions of primary air pollutants from 2009 to 2019 and projection for the 14th Five-Year Plan period in Beijing, China

Over the past decade, the emission standards and fuel standards in Beijing have been upgraded twice, and the vehicle structure has been improved by accelerating the elimination of 2.95 million old vehicles. Through the formulation and implementation of these policies, the emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nitrogen oxides (NO_x), and fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) in 2019 were 147.9, 25.3, 43.4, and 0.91 kton in Beijing, respectively. The emission factor method was adopted to better understand the emissions characteristics of primary air pollutants from combustion engine vehicles and to improve pollution control. In combination with the air quality improvement goals and the status of social and economic development during the 14th Five-Year Plan period in Beijing, different vehicle pollution control scenarios were established, and emissions reductions were projected. The results show that the emissions of four air pollutants (CO, VOCs, NO_x, and PM_2.5) from vehicles in Beijing decreased by an average of 68% in 2019, compared to their levels in 2009. The contribution of NO_x emissions from diesel vehicles increased from 35% in 2009 to 56% in 2019, which indicated that clean and energy-saving diesel vehicle fleets should be further improved. Electric vehicle adoption could be an important measure to reduce pollutant emissions. With the further upgrading of vehicle structure and the adoption of electric vehicles, it is expected that the total emissions of the four vehicle pollutants can be reduced by 20%-41% by the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan period.     

北京市大气污染减排潜力及居民健康效益评估

北京市能源消费正面临着污染物减排和保障居民健康的双重约束. 针对未来城市能源消费设计BAU(基准情景)和2个分别基于近期和中长期节能环保要求的受控情景(EC1、EC2),模拟预测了3个情景下主要大气污染物(SO₂、NO_x、PM₁₀、PM_2.5)在目标年(2020年)的排放水平,以确定大气污染减排潜力. 分别采用综合暴露-反应关系模型(IER)和泊松回归模型,评估北京市居民对PM_2.5暴露的健康风险,估算健康损失的经济价值. 结果表明:相较BAU情景,在EC1情景下, SO₂、NO_x、PM₁₀、PM_2.5减排率分别达到52.95%、49.77%、32.82%、41.41%,可减少PM_2.5暴露下居民死亡和发病219 783例,其中死亡1 295例、住院3 920例、门诊182 558例、患病32 011例,获得健康效益111.87×108元;在EC2情景下,SO₂、NO_x、PM₁₀、PM_2.5的减排率分别达到66.61%、63.42%、54.96%、57.44%,可减少PM_2.5暴露下居民死亡和发病519 234例,其中死亡2 930例、住院9 248例、门诊427 070例、患病79 986例,获得健康效益290.10×108元. 相较EC1情景,EC2情景可产生更大的减排潜力和居民健康效益. 从空间分布上来看,北京主城区因能源方案优化获得的健康效益较大,约占总健康经济效益的60%.      

乌兰浩特地区大气污染成因与防治对策研究

近年来,随着乌兰浩特地区经济社会的迅速发展,空气污染日趋严重,已经影响到了经济、社会发展和市民的生活.文章阐述了大气污染对人类健康的影响,研究探讨了国内关于城市大气污染的现状,结合乌兰浩特地区大气污染的调查分析,以乌兰浩特市2008、2009、2010年大气环境质量监测数据为依据,详细研究了乌兰浩特地区大气污染的主要污染源及污染物,归纳总结特征及其变化,采用了空气污染指数（API）分析和评价了大气污染的原因.研究结果表明,乌兰浩特地区空气质量状况2009年比2008年明显好转,但PM10仍有超标现象;通过特征分析可知大气污染有逐年上升趋势,随季节变化相对明显,可吸入颗粒物、二氧化硫和二氧化氮的浓度在春冬季分别是夏秋季的0.5倍到1.5倍：采用空气污染指数（API）对乌兰浩特地区的大气污染进行评价结果表明,煤炭燃烧后的污染物是乌兰浩特市空气污染物的主要来源,同时地理环境对乌兰浩特地区空气质量有较大影响,山风产生的局地环流不利于污染物的扩散,特别是遇到静风、逆温等不利于污染物扩散的气象条件时,就会加重环境空气污染,导致污染物农度大幅度升高.造成乌兰浩特地区大气污染的原因较复杂,通过分析研究得到了主要原因是工业和能源结构不合理、冬季取暖燃煤、汽车尾气、特殊地形气候、相关政策法规不太健全及环保宣传监督工作做不到住.并针对乌兰浩特地区的实际情况提出了控制大气污染的对策措施.总之,该研究找到了乌兰浩特地区大气污染的问题,为乌兰浩特市环境污染综合治理提供了一定的参考依据.     

乌兰浩特地区大气污染成因与防治对策研究

近年来,随着乌兰浩特地区经济社会的迅速发展,空气污染日趋严重,已经影响到了经济、社会发展和市民的生活。文章阐述了大气污染对人类健康的影响,研究探讨了国内关于城市大气污染的现状,结合乌兰浩特地区大气污染的调查分析。以鸟兰浩特市2008、2009、2010年大气环境质量监测数据为依据,详细研究了乌兰浩特地区大气污染的主要污染源及污染物,归纳总结特征及其变化,采用了空气污染指数（API）分析和评价了大气污染的原因。研究结果表明,乌兰浩特地区空气质量状况2009年比2008年明显好转,但PM10仍有超标现象;通过特征分析可知大气污染有逐年上升趋势,随季节变化相对明显,可吸入颗粒物、二氧化硫和二氧化氮的浓度在春冬季分别是夏秋季的0．5倍到1．5倍;采用空气污染指数（API）对乌兰浩特地区的大气污染进行评价结果表明,煤炭燃烧后的污染物是鸟兰浩特市空气污染物的主要来源,同时地理环境对鸟兰浩特地区空气质量有较大影响,山风产生的局地环流不利于污染物的扩散,特别是遇到静风、逆温等不利于污染物扩散的气象条件时,就会加重环境空气污染,导致污染物浓度大幅度升高。造成乌兰浩特地区大气污染的原因较复杂,通过分析研究得到了主要原因是工业和能源结构不合理、冬季取暖燃煤、汽车尾气、特殊地形气候、相关政策法规不太健全及环保宣传监督工作做不到住。并针对鸟兰浩特地区的实际情况提出了控制大气污染的对策措施。总之,该研究找到了乌兰浩特地区大气污染的问题,为乌兰浩特市环境污染综合治理提供了一定的参考依据。     

基于CAMx的徐州市2016年冬季PM2.5污染过程及来源分析

徐州地处江苏西北部、华北平原的东南部,为内陆资源型工业城市,近几年来环境监测数据显示,徐州地区大气复合污染问题日益突出,准确模拟大气污染物状况及来源对于空气污染的防治十分关键.2016年1月,徐州市出现了多次持续的重污染天气,研究中以此次污染事件为例,首先基于WRF-CAMx空气质量模型系统对这次细颗粒物污染过程进行全面的模拟与分析,其次利用CAMx-PSAT系统模拟和分析本次污染的区域传输过程.研究结果显示：此次细颗粒物污染中,PM_2.5组成成分以硫酸盐、元素碳、硝酸盐和铵盐为主,分别占月平均浓度的29%、15%、14%、14%;PM_2.5的区域传输贡献中,长距离传输所占比重最大,月平均贡献率达46%,其次为本地源排放,平均贡献率为39%;重污染天气期间,PM_2.5污染主要从西北方向输入,此时长距离传输的影响明显增大.     

基于环境投入产出的多视角全球二氧化硫排放

国际贸易的迅速发展是贸易隐含污染物排放转移的主要驱动因素,排放转移的出现将排放责任的研究从生产者视角贡献逐渐引向了消费者视角贡献.合理的排放责任界定成为区域减排的重要参考.本研究利用多区域环境投入产出模型,以当前社会广泛关注的大气污染物二氧化硫为载体,详细分析了2007年全球各地区基于生产者视角、生产链末端视角、消费者视角、考量区域减排努力的改进的消费者视角的大气污染物排放贡献,并对各个视角下的区域排放进行比较和分析.结果表明:西欧、北美、日澳新等地区生产者、生产链末端、消费者视角的排放依次升高,而南亚、东亚地区的排放依次减小.大量的二氧化硫排放从西欧、北美随着国际贸易供应链转移到东亚地区.全球各地区二氧化硫排放强度的差异和全球贸易导致的生产格局的变化均为排放转移的原因.本研究是贸易引致环境问题研究的重要补充,为区域乃至全球从贸易角度降低区域大气污染问题提供了科学依据.     

基于前体物多情景排放的兰州市2030年夏季臭氧预测

近年来,兰州市夏季臭氧污染问题日渐凸显,已成为影响当地环境空气质量达标的首要污染因子和制约环境空气质量持续改善的突出短板.解决臭氧污染问题需结合城市经济发展的实际情况定量评估前体物减排量并提出切实可行的减排对策,为环境管理的中长期规划提供科学依据.在2015年本地排放清单的基础上,通过情景分析法预测了兰州市2030年3种梯度城市发展与污染控制情景下臭氧的两类主要前体物氮氧化物（NO_x）和挥发性有机物（VOCs）的排放量,利用WRF-Chem模型对不同情景下的2030年夏季臭氧污染程度进行了数值模拟,分析了臭氧浓度与生成敏感性的时空变化情况,并提出了兰州市臭氧前体物的总量控制参考和针对不同行政区的减排对策建议.结果表明,3种不同的城市发展与污染控制情景下兰州市2030年NO_x排放量为4.57×10⁴～12.14×10⁴ t, VOCs排放量为5.30×10⁴～7.69×10⁴ t, NO_x排放可通过调整能源结构,加强末端治理和限制机动车...     

2015年12月北京市空气重污染过程分析及污染源排放变化

2015年12月,北京市及周边地区连续多次出现重污染天气.在此期间,北京市空气重污染应急指挥部两次发布红色预警.为厘清该月重污染的发生过程、生消变化,测算了应急措施下的污染源排放变化情况,并采用数值模拟和地面观测相结合的分析方法,对重污染的形成原因进行初步分析,同时对应急措施的环境效果进行评估.结果表明:1虽然2015年12月北京市主要大气污染物排放量较去年同期有所下降,但排放强度仍然较大,是重污染过程的内因;气象扩散条件不利是重要的外因,地面风速弱,大气稳定度高,相对湿度高,边界层高度降低,源排放及气象因素共同导致了此轮重污染过程.2红色预警应急措施可实现污染物日排放强度减少36%左右,PM_2.5浓度下降11%~21%,预警的应急措施不能扭转重污染的态势,但对于缓解PM_2.5污染加重趋势有明显的效果.3在重污染天气下,污染物仍在大气中累积,应急措施最明显的效果发生在实施后的48~72 h后,因此建议在PM_2.5浓度快速上升前36~48 h实施减排措施,从而对空气质量预报准确性提出更高的要求.