The National Academies Press

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Pages 1-16

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From page 1... ... The United States has made great strides in improving air quality since the early part of the 20th century, by reducing domestic and transportation coal use and by refining combustion conditions in large centralized facilities. Further improvements were achieved during the last half of the 20th century by better understanding the relationships between emissions and air quality, developing and applying pollution controls, increasing energy efficiency, and instituting a management framework to monitor airsheds and to enforce regulations. Read the entire page →
From page 2... ... In addition to informing national policies in both countries, the study is intended to assist Chinese cities in assessing their challenges, which include meeting increased energy demands, managing the growth in motor vehicle use, and improving air quality, all while maintaining high rates of economic growth. This report is geared towards policy and towards decision makers involved in urban energy and air quality issues. Read the entire page →
From page 3... ... Energy security is a primary concern for both countries, and projected increases in fuel imports (notably petroleum) are a primary driver for the United States and China to pursue energy efficiency improvements and fuel substitution strategies. Read the entire page →
From page 4... ... Both countries have adopted air quality standards for individual pollutants, although China's air pollution index contains five separate classes, allowing for "compliance" at levels less stringent Read the entire page →
From page 5... ... than international standards. In the United States, National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) Read the entire page →
From page 6... ... , the United States has instituted pollution controls for mobile sources and specifications for motor vehicle fuels. This has led to marked decreases in Pb emissions (China is currently experiencing similar decreases) Read the entire page →
From page 7... ... Moreover, local and provincial leaders are evaluated primarily on economic performance that does not consider the costs of pollution, often leading to short-sighted decisions favoring economics over pollution control. As a result, air quality management has been inconsistent. Read the entire page →
From page 8... ... Energy efficiency can provide gains similar to, or greater than those provided by specific pollution controls and can reduce the need for new power generators. Cost-effective technology is currently available to greatly improve energy efficiency across all energy use sectors. Read the entire page →
From page 9... ... It is for this reason that IGCC technology is of great interest, as it permits the most efficient capture of CO 2 and other pollutants from coal gas, before it is used to drive a turbine. China has been a world leader in developing coal gasification technologies, though it is currently used almost exclusively for chemical production. Read the entire page →
From page 10... ... Hydrogen can currently be produced economically from natural gas for industrial purposes, but largescale production will almost certainly rely on renewable energy for production, if hydrogen is to be considered a clean alternative energy carrier. It is unclear whether some biofuels, including ethanol from non-cellulosic sources, provide more renewable energy than they consume in non-renewable energy for their production. Read the entire page →
From page 11... ... Indeed, as many U.S. cities remediated local air pollution problems, it became apparent that some issues required regional solutions, as current pollution levels derive from a variety of energy uses and sectors on local and regional scales. Read the entire page →
From page 12... ... Huainan has improved its air quality, though future plans to develop the city into a regional base for energy and chemical production will necessitate further strengthening of the air quality management system. As a coal-rich city, Huainan has benefited from local research and development, which has allowed it to begin harnessing coalbed methane and to utilize coal gasification technologies. Read the entire page →
From page 13... ... and China should consider evaluating the best energy efficiency standards for all energy sectors that have been formulated by each country, by their states/provinces, or by other countries. Efficiency standards, like air quality standards, will need to be properly enforced in order to be effective (Recommendation 6-a) Read the entire page →
From page 14... ... . Traffic management systems, such as the system in place in Dalian, should be implemented in other Chinese cities, in order to manage the rapidly expanding vehicle fleets and to limit congestion (Recommendation 7-c) Read the entire page →
From page 15... ... . Chinese cities need to develop local and regional technical training centers and professional education centers, in order to build the capacity to operate and maintain pollution controls and advanced technologies (Recommendation 14-e) Read the entire page →

From page 1...

... The United States has made great strides in improving air quality since the early part of the 20th century, by reducing domestic and transportation coal use and by refining combustion conditions in large centralized facilities. Further improvements were achieved during the last half of the 20th century by better understanding the relationships between emissions and air quality, developing and applying pollution controls, increasing energy efficiency, and instituting a management framework to monitor airsheds and to enforce regulations.

Summary Pages 1-16

Summary
Pages 1-16