On September 11, the “Super Pollutants Day” that culminated in an award ceremony attracted much attention during the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco. A group of luminaries received the 2018 Climate and Clean Air Awards from the Climate and Clean Air Coalition of the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) for their efforts and contribution in fighting climate change by reducing short-lived climate pollutants (also know as “super pollutants”).

Heavy-duty vehicles account for four fifths of vehicle exhaust particulates in China. Fine particulates not only can cause smog episodes that threaten public health, but also lead to global warming due to the black carbon component. Early this year, China released the updated Emissions Standard for Heavy-duty Vehicles (China VI), which is among the most stringent in the world. Compared to current standards, two thirds of fine particulate and four fifths of nitrogen dioxide emissions from new heavy-duty vehicles shall be cut under the new standard. As the biggest market for heavy-duty vehicles, China’s tightening emission standards will benefit both its urban air quality improvement and the global climate mitigation.

Photography by Climate and Clean Air Coalition of the UNEP

Gong Huiming from Energy Foundation China (EF China), He Kebin from Tsinghua University, and He Hui from the International Council on Clean Transportation accepted the Award for Transformative Policy, on behalf of a group of people from the government, academia, and non-profit organizations who are responsible for improving China’s emissions standard for heavy-duty vehicles. The award is shared by the three organizations, as well as China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) and its Vehicle Emission Control Center. Before receiving the UN award, EF China was also credited for its exceptional contribution to China’s emissions standard for light-duty vehicles by the Ministry of Environmental Protection—MEE’s predecessor— in 2017.

EF China has been committed to advancing energy efficiency and emissions control for the transportation sector by collaborating with governments and think tanks, bridging international expertise, and building in-house capacity. The scientific research and international consultation communications EF China supported enabled the China VI emissions standard to be on par with global leading standards.

The Climate and Clean Air Coalition, initiated by the governments of Bangladesh, Canada, Ghana, Mexico, Sweden and the United States, and the UN Environment, is a voluntary partnership of governments, intergovernmental organizations, businesses, scientific institutions, and civil society organizations committed to improving air quality and protecting the climate through actions to reduce short-lived climate pollutants. Its Climate and Clean Air Awards recognize exceptional contributions and actions to implement projects, programs, policies, and practices that reduce short-lived climate pollutants. This year, 10 winners out of 83 nominees received the awards.