CO-BENEFITS FROM ENERGY POLICIES IN CHINA

Abstract:

In recent years, the problems of climate change and air pollution were all of concern of the government and the public in China. Especially rapid increases in coal and oil consumption have resulted in increased emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) as well as air pollutants in China. The government has begun to design policies to slow down the increasing of energy consumption and to improve air quality. This paper attempts to quantify the co-benefits of reducing emission of carbon dioxides (CO2) and improving air quality from two different policy scenarios, i.e. policies to improve energy efficiency and policies to abate emissions of air pollutants from energy consumption. An integrated approach which combines an energy projection model, an emission estimation model, an air quality simulation model and a health benefit evaluation model was developed to assess the co-benefits of two types of energy policies. The results show that significant benefits, include 1469 million tons of less emissions of CO2, 68%~88% of declining of air pollutants concentrations, and 100 billion US$ of health benefit, will be taken in 2030 if the aggressive energy policies are implemented. The analysis suggests that energy policies could benefit more on environment, not only to mitigate the climate change but also to improve air quality.