Co-drivers of Air Pollutant and CO2 Emissions from On-Road Transportation in China 2010-2020

Evolution trajectory and driving mechanism of the synergistic effect on construction waste and carbon reduction: Evidence from China

Collaborative promotion on the synergistic effect for construction waste (CW) and carbon emission (CE) reduction had a great significance to deeply analyze the evolution trajectory and driving mechanism of the synergistic effect of CW and CE reduction at the regional scale, to achieve the construction industry sustainable development. In our research, Coupling Coordination Degree (CCD), Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis (ESDA) and Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) models were used to measure the synergistic effect, the spatial correlation and driving mechanism for CW and CE reduction on the construction industry in China from 2005 to 2021. The results concluded that CW and CE were increased with average annual growth rates of 8.8 % and 13.41 %, respectively. It presented a spatial pattern of "high in the east and low in the west" divided by the Hu Huanyong Line. The synergistic effect gradually decreased with the pattern of "High in the east and low in the west", transition to a spatial pattern of "High in the south and low in the north". There was significant spatial heterogeneity on driving factors of population size, per capita GDP, industrial structure, CE intensity, and CW generation intensity on the synergistic effect. Further, the findings provided insights and empirical supports for the government to formulate a collaborative implementation plan for reducing pollution and CE for the regional sustainability development.

Synergistic policy effects of digitization in reducing air pollution and addressing climate change in China

Given the increasing constraints of climate change and air pollution on economic growth, constructing a comprehensive policy system that promotes the coordinated development of pollution reduction, carbon mitigation, and economic growth has become the key to resolving current contradictions. However, the synergistic effects of the policy combination between digitalization, pollution reduction and carbon mitigation remain insufficiently evaluated. Based on panel data from 239 Chinese cities spanning 2014 to 2024, this study employs a fixed effects model to comprehensively analyze the effects of atmospheric, climate, and digital policy combinations from multiple perspectives. The results indicate that the synergistic effects of policy combinations surpass those of single policies. In the case of single policies, they demonstrate synergy while effectively achieving policy goals. Regarding policy interactions, the interplay between two policies entails both complementary and substitution effects. When considering policy combinations, an appropriate number of policies can maximize the overall policy effect, while excessive combinations may trigger substitution effects between policies. From the perspective of policy actors, collaborative efforts among policy actors strengthen the synergistic effects of policies, though an increasing number of policy actors does not necessarily enhance the synergy. This study provides theoretical references for designing collaborative policy mechanisms and establishing a collaborative development policy network system.

Local Climate Might Amplify Economic and Environmental Impacts of Electric Vehicles in China

Electric vehicles (EVs) are crucial for addressing the intertwined challenges of climate change and air pollution. The multiaspect benefits of EVs are highly dependent on local climate conditions, yet the impacts of regional heterogeneity in the context of future climate change remain unclear. Here, we develop a systemic modeling framework integrating fleet modeling, emission projection, index decomposition analysis, and detailed cost assessment to identify local drivers and potential trade-offs behind electrification. Our findings reveal substantial regional variations in EV charging costs, ranging from 2.6 to 3.6 USD/100km. By 2030, EVs could constitute 54 to 96% of regional vehicle sales, reducing China's CO2 emissions by 40.3 Tg and NOx emissions by 20.8 Gg compared to 2020 levels. Climate change might amplify the impacts of EVs, potentially reducing national energy consumption by 1-2% toward 2060, particularly by alleviating winter-related battery performance degradation. Our results highlight tailoring strategies to subregional conditions and recommend accelerating electrification to maximize environmental and economic cobenefits under global warming.

Assessing traffic emissions during the summer world university games 2023: Insights for multisectoral synergetic decontamination

Implementing temporary traffic control measures is a common strategy to prevent air pollution and alleviate traffic congestion during mega-events. Accurate assessment of event-time vehicular emissions is useful for local authorities to develop effective policies. However, many previous assessments were based on policy-based scenarios, which often failed to capture the synergistic impact from other sectors (e.g., the industrial sector). Here, we conducted both traditional scenario-based ex-ante evaluation and data-driven real-time emissions tracking to evaluate the impacts of traffic restriction policies during the Summer World University Games 2023 in Chengdu, China. Real-time tracking revealed that average vehicle kilometers traveled (VKT), traffic emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOX), and volatile organic compound (VOC) decreased by 18.3 %, 37.9 %, and 18.4 %, respectively, compared to the non-event period. The scenario-based ex-ante evaluation substantially underestimated NOX emission reduction from the truck fleet due to the lack of consideration for multisectoral synergistic effects. Event-time interventions in the industrial sector accounted for an additional 18.1 % reduction in truck NOX emissions. This study underscores the importance of considering cross-sectoral synergy when establishing policies for future mega events.

Wheels of Change: The Environmental Paradox of Accelerating Vehicle Retirement Program

Accelerated vehicle retirement is recognized as crucial for managing fleet emissions effectively. However, the emergence of new energy vehicles introduces complexities in assessing their environmental impacts. This study developed a dynamic fleet-based life cycle assessment model to analyze the effects of four distinct scrappage strategies in China from 2021 to 2060. The results underscore the importance of a meticulously chosen retirement strategy that harmonizes fleet characteristics with advancements in vehicle technology to promote sustainable mobility. Accelerated retirement strategies are demonstrated to enhance vehicle sales and expedite the incorporation of new energy vehicles into the fleet. Although these policies reduce greenhouse gas and carbon monoxide emissions, they may exacerbate other air pollutants, necessitating vigilant management. Additionally, the temporal distribution of environmental impacts reveals the critical need for long-term assessments. By evaluating six negative externalities of emissions, the research indicates that targeted scrappage policies, which advocate for the retirement of older vehicles, could potentially generate economic benefits of 6.81 to 7.29 billion dollars in reduced losses. However, an overly aggressive scrappage policy could increase negative externalities, leading to additional costs ranging from 0.84 to 3.31 billion dollars. This study reveals the intricate long-term environmental consequences of scrappage strategies accompanying the rise of new energy vehicles and lays a methodological groundwork for ongoing research into the most effective retirement scheme.

Peaking China's CO2 emissions by sectoral actions

•Sectoral actions are vital for achieving China's carbon pledges.•Actions for key sectors are proposed to reduce China's CO2 emissions.•It is feasible to peak CO2 emissions and China by actions in key sectors.

Province-Level Decarbonization Potentials for China's Road Transportation Sector

Decarbonizing road transportation is an important task in achieving China's climate goals. Illustrating the mitigation potentials of announced policies and identifying additional strategies for various vehicle fleets are fundamental in optimizing future control pathways. Herein, we developed a comprehensive analysis of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from on-road vehicles as well as their mitigation potentials based on real-world databases and up-to-date policy scenarios. Total CO2 emissions of China's road transportation are estimated to be 1102 million tons (Mt) in 2022 and will continue to increase if future strategies are implemented as usual. Under current development trend and announced policy controls (i.e., integrated scenario), annual CO2 emissions are estimated to peak at 1235 Mt in 2025 and then decline to approximately 200 Mt around 2050. The scenario analysis indicates that electrification of passenger vehicles emerges as the most imperative decarbonization strategy for achieving carbon peak before 2030. Additionally, fuel economy improvement of conventional vehicles is identified to be effective for CO2 emission reduction for trucks until 2035 while new energy vehicle promotion shows great mitigation potentials in the long term. This study provides insight into heterogeneous low-carbon transportation transition strategies and valuable support for achieving China's dual-carbon goals.

Identifying Key Sources for Air Pollution and CO2 Emission Co-control in China

China is confronting the dual challenges of air pollution and climate change, mandating the co-control of air pollutants and CO2 emissions from their shared sources. Here we identify key sources for co-control that prioritize the mitigation of PM2.5-related health burdens, given the homogeneous impacts of CO2 emissions from various sources. By applying an integrated analysis framework that consists of a detailed emission inventory, a chemical transport model, a multisource fused dataset, and epidemiological concentration-response functions, we systematically evaluate the contribution of emissions from 390 sources (30 provinces and 13 socioeconomic sectors) to PM2.5-related health impacts and CO2 emissions, as well as the marginal health benefits of CO2 abatement across China. The estimated source-specific contributions exhibit substantial disparities, with the marginal benefits varying by 3 orders of magnitude. The rural residential, transportation, metal, and power and heating sectors emerge as pivotal sources for co-control, with regard to their relatively large marginal benefits or the sectoral total benefits. In addition, populous and heavily industrialized provinces such as Shandong and Henan are identified as the key regions for co-control. Our study highlights the significance of incorporating health benefits into formulating air pollution and carbon co-control strategies for improving the overall social welfare.

Integrated Benefits of Synergistically Reducing Air Pollutants and Carbon Dioxide in China

China's advancements in addressing air pollution and reducing CO2 emissions offer valuable lessons for collaborative strategies to achieve diverse environmental objectives. Previous studies have assessed the mutual benefits of climate policies and air pollution control measures on one another, lacking an integrated assessment of the benefits of synergistic control attributed to refined measures. Here, we comprehensively used coupled emission inventory and response models to evaluate the integrated benefits and synergy degrees of various measures in reducing air pollutants and CO2 in China during 2013-2021. Results indicated that the implemented measures yielded integrated benefits value at 6.7 (2.4-12.6) trillion Chinese Yuan. The top five contributors, accounting for 55%, included promoting non-thermal power, implementing end-of-pipe control technologies in power plants and iron and steel industry, replacing residential scattered coal, and saving building energy. Measures demonstrating high synergies and integrated benefits per unit of reduction (e.g., green traffic promotion) yielded low benefits mainly due to their low application, which are expected to gain greater implementation and prioritization in the future. Our findings provide insights into the effectiveness and limitations of strategies aimed at joint control. By ranking these measures based on their benefits and synergy, we offer valuable guidance for policy development in China and other nations with similar needs.

Spatio-temporal evolution characteristics of carbon emissions from road transportation in the mainland of China from 2006 to 2021

The leaping forward of the economy has promoted the rapid growth of road traffic demand, resulting in the carbon emissions of road traffic increasing significantly. It is well known that a one-size-fits-all emission reduction policy is not feasible. Therefore, conducting an investigation on the carbon emissions of all provincial-level regions within a country can assist the government in formulating carbon emission policies at a macro level tailored to different regions. In this study, the whole provincial-level administrative regions in the mainland of China were selected to quantify the carbon emissions of road traffic, and the carbon emissions from 2006 to 2021 were obtained by employing the top-down model. What's more, spatiotemporal characteristics of road transportation carbon emissions in those regions were explored based on Moran's I spatial autocorrelation method. In addition, the LMDI model was constructed based on five driving factors, namely energy intensity, energy consumption intensity, industrial scale, economic development, and population size, and the decomposition analysis of driving factors is carried out. The results show that carbon emissions from road traffic in all provincial regions showed an overall rising trend in the research period, with an average annual growth rate of 11.83 %. The distribution of road transportation carbon emissions exhibited an east-high, west-low distribution, with significantly higher emissions in the eastern and coastal regions compared to inland areas, additionally, China's seven geographical regions showed an initial rapid increase in carbon emissions followed by a stable growth trend. Secondly, five types of spatial clustering were identified of carbon emissions within provincial regions. Thirdly, the impacts of energy intensity and industrial scale were detrimental to road transportation carbon emissions, whereas economic development, energy consumption intensity, and population size had contrasting effects. Implications according to the above conclusions were put forward, aiming to provide guidance for the sustainable development of road transportation and expediting the achievement of the "carbon peaking and carbon neutrality" objective.