Since 2013, one Beijing resident has made it a daily habit to photograph the sky. Over the past decade, with more than 3,000 photos, his collection reveals a remarkable transformation: a city once shrouded in thick smog now basking under blue skies and white clouds.

“Clean air is one of the most essential and universal public goods to fulfill people’s desire for a better quality of life. It also serves as a visible testament to sustainable development and effective environmental governance. Likewise, a stable climate is vital to the health and prosperity of humanity,” said Xin Liu, Director of the Environmental Management Program at Energy Foundation China (EF China). “For years, EF China and our partners have been committed to making blue skies a common view and ensuring clean air for all, driving coordinated efforts against climate change while advancing the green transition of our economy and society.”

Promoting Effective Governance to Tackle Air Pollution and Reduce Fossil Fuel Consumption

As China entered the 21st century, rapid urbanization and industrialization led to a surge in energy consumption, which was accompanied by escalating air pollution issues such as acid rain, haze, and photochemical smog. The growing variety of pollution sources made environmental governance increasingly challenging.

Consequently, ensuring scientific governance and updating the legal foundation of the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law became a critical priority. In 2009, EF China and its partners, drawing on U.S. experience in air quality management, advocated for regular exchanges between China’s former Ministry of Environmental Protection (now the Ministry of Ecology and Environment) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These exchanges, along with field visits to the U.S., enabled Chinese policymakers and experts to understand and leverage international best practices in exploring China’s pathway to pollution control. The domestic and international collaboration laid the foundation for a comprehensive regulatory framework encompassing scientific monitoring, systematic analysis, standard setting, compliance programs, emission reduction, supporting policies, and ongoing assessments. In 2013, China officially initiated revisions to the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law, and by 2016, the revised law was enacted. For the first time, the law introduced the coordinated control of both conventional pollutants and greenhouse gases.

Proposed Amendments for Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law from an EF China-supported Research Project

Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law Amendment: Recommendations Based on International Experience
Image by: EF China-supported research project

In 2013,China issued the Action Plan on the Prevention of Air Pollution, outlining ten measures to accelerate efforts against severe haze pollution. The Action Plan set stringent PM_2.5 reduction targets for key regions, including the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta, and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, known as the Jing-Jin-Ji (JJJ) region.

In the JJJ region, a series of air pollution control measures were implemented to meet the reduction targets. By 2015, although notable improvements in PM_2.5 concentrations were observed compared to 2013, the results still fell short of the goals outlined in the Action Plan, raising concerns about the region’s ability to achieve its targets. In response, EF China and its research partners conducted a joint evaluation on the region's three-year pollution control efforts. The findings underscored the importance of targeting pollution sources by restructuring the energy, industry, and transportation sectors to effectively reduce both air pollution and CO₂ emissions. The study also proposed concrete recommendations for further reducing coal consumption, which played a crucial role in shaping subsequent policy developments. For example, the Three-Year Action Plan for Clean Air, passed in June 2018, included measures to optimize industrial structure and reduce regional coal consumption by 10%.

As refined policies led to significant improvements in air quality, stakeholders shifted their focus to tackling the persistent and more severe pollution during the fall and winter seasons. In 2021-2022, in collaboration with a team of leading researchers, EF China conducted an in-depth study on the coordinated control of heavy pollution in the JJJ region and surrounding areas. The research addressed key issues such as joint prevention and control of heavy pollution, emergency response planning, and effectiveness assessment. It proposed a systematic approach to pollution control centered around coal reduction, forming a theoretical foundation for managing severe fall and winter pollution in the JJJ region in 2022.

Synergizing pollution and carbon reduction for sustainable development and public health

Amid accelerating global climate action and the urgent need for sustainable development, China announced its “dual-carbon” goals in 2020 (to peak CO₂ emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060), launching a nationwide low-carbon transition. As Xin Liu explains, "PM_2.5 and CO₂emissions stem from the same sources, making it essential to address both through coordinated, structural changes. Before the ‘dual-carbon’ goals, China primarily focused on air pollution control, with greenhouse gas reduction taking a secondary role. The emphasis has now shifted toward integrating pollution and carbon reduction efforts, placing both on equal footing. This balanced approach enables China to leverage the synergies of advanced carbon reduction technologies and pollution management innovations.” Liu further emphasized, “It is now on top of the agenda for all stakeholders to develop a systematic approach to the governance of carbon emission, pollution, and energy, alongside economic development.”

In 2018, EF China and its research partners initiated a five-phase study on coordinated policies to address air pollution and climate change, assessing their effectiveness in both the near- to medium-term and medium- to long-term. These studies provided strategic insights into "synergizing the reduction of pollution and carbon emissions." As part of the study, the research team developed an integrated assessment model that analyzed local data on air, climate, energy, and the economy. The findings suggested that, under the Beautiful China Initiative, air quality and climate actions could be synergized through enhanced energy transition measures, achieving annual PM_2.5 concentrations as low as 25 µg/m³ or even 10 µg/m³, while limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. In the near- to medium-term, the study highlighted the importance of prioritizing measures such as electrifying non-road machinery, replacing rural household coal use, and improving energy efficiency in rural buildings for the synergistic reduction of carbon and pollution while protecting public health. These insights have gained attention from policymakers and industry leaders and have been incorporated into key national policies, including the Implementation Plans on Synergizing the Reduction of Pollution and Carbon Emissions (2022) and the Opinions on Comprehensively Promoting the Construction of a Beautiful China (2023).

In addition to macro-level policy initiatives, there is also a pressing need to advance pollution and carbon reduction technologies and their management models. To this end, EF China partnered with universities and research teams to explore key technologies – such as ultra-low emission (ULE) power generation 2.0, electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking, electric heavy-duty trucks, and pollution control for rural household coal use – developing innovative management models to support relevant policy development and implementation. For example, while rural household coal use accounts for only 3% of energy consumption, it produces emissions that are eight times higher and poses ten times greater health risks, attracting significant attention from various sectors regarding its governance.

As the research progressed, EF China and its partners proposed a comprehensive approach to rural coal replacement, grounded in five key principles: energy saving, pollution reduction, economic efficiency, emission reduction, and quality of life. It also suggested technical solutions for heating and insulation that balance emission reduction with cost-effectiveness, addressing key challenges such as funding shortages, high operational costs, and limited gas supplies. These strategies have been adopted in rural areas of Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, and Qinghai. By applying precise insulation solutions in rural housing to boost energy efficiency and utilizing locally available solar, biomass energy, and heat pumps, these measures have significantly lowered both the initial renovation costs for clean heating and the ongoing operational expenses, yielding substantial environmental, climate, and public health benefits.

While high-level guidance, cutting-edge technologies, and innovative management models are vital for the synergistic control of air pollution and CO₂ emissions, local-level implementation is just as important. Integrated solutions that address climate, environment, energy, and economic growth challenges are particularly critical for cities with poor air quality, high CO₂ emissions, underdeveloped economies, and heavy reliance on fossil fuels. Linfen, Shanxi, is an example of such a region.

In 2023, EF China joined hands with the government and university research teams to pool collective expertise in supporting Linfen’s efforts toward pollution control, carbon reduction, and sustainable development. The partnership focused on developing a comprehensive strategic plan, implementing emission reduction measures in key areas, innovating environmental management systems (EMS), facilitating investment and financing for critical projects, and establishing platforms for dialogue and exchange. Together, EF China and its partners offered an integrated approach to improve Linfen’s ranking in air quality and guide its transition from heavy reliance on fossil fuels. The research also provided recommendations for the sustainable development in areas such as hydrogen energy, quality steel, new energy heavy-duty trucks, modern logistics, and green tourism—unlocking the synergistic growth potential of low-carbon transition through on-the-ground practices.

“I have worked with EF China for over two decades, and their contributions to improving air quality, reducing pollution, and lowering carbon emissions have been truly remarkable,” said Jiming Hao, Professor at Tsinghua University and Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering. “The innovative and action-oriented approach of EF China has helped Hainan achieve world-class air quality and supported Linfen in meeting air quality standards, contributing to the green transformation of the local economy and society.”

In addition to supporting cities like Linfen in their efforts to meet air quality standards, EF China and its partners are also committed to enhancing air quality in top-performing areas through more stringent pollution and carbon reduction measures, aiming to achieve world-class air quality and safeguard public health.

While 70% of Chinese cities meet the national PM_2.5 standard, this threshold still falls short of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³. Updating air quality standards could not only improve public health but also contribute to broader climate goals. In 2023, EF China collaborated with a cross-sectoral team of researchers to launch an in-depth study on revising air quality standards with a focus on health, air quality, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions. Preliminary findings suggested that tightening the PM_2.5 standard to 15 µg/m³ could significantly reduce premature deaths and cut 3.8 billion tons of carbon emissions. These findings served as a solid scientific foundation for the revision of China’s air quality standards.

EF China also initiated the industry's first integrated AiR-Climate-Health platform (ARCH), bringing together experts from various fields to delve into cutting-edge topics, such as the epidemiological evidence for updating air quality standards, the monetization of health benefits, etc. In addition, this platform has been instrumental in supporting pilot projects in Hainan and has pioneered the use of a personalized Air Quality Health Index in public communications. Insights from these efforts served as important foundations in shaping the 2035 Beautiful China Initiative and 2050 Air Quality Goals, while also guiding the revision of China’s air quality standards – a process that officially began in 2023.

“The primary goal of tackling air pollution and mitigating climate change is to safeguard public health. I’ve worked with EF China since 2018, and their efforts have been crucial in advancing scientific and policy research on air quality benchmarks and standards centered around public health. In addition, EF China has also made significant contributions to raising public awareness of environmental health,” said Tong Zhu, Professor at Peking University and member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Today, synergistic reductions in pollution and CO₂ have become an integral part of socio-economic development plans worldwide, serving as a vital driver for sustainable development and the pursuit of a healthier, better life for all. “EF China and our partners are dedicated to achieving world-class air quality, a stable climate, and improving people's health and well-being. We have already seen promising strides toward this vision in various regions of China. To better transform this vision into actionable results across the country, we will continue working with our partners across fields to further research on the synergistic management of air quality, climate, health, energy, and the economy. We are also committed to promoting collaborative governance on pollution and carbon emissions in the Asia-Pacific region and exploring ways to reduce short-lived greenhouse gases like methane. We are ready to embrace a future where clean air, climate security, and improved health and prosperity are realities for all,” said Xin Liu, expressing hope for what lies ahead.