From August 31 to September 1, 2023, Zou Ji, CEO and President of Energy Foundation China (EF China), led a delegation to Shanxi Province to kick off a series of pollution reduction and carbon mitigation projects, in the presence of the government of Linfen City and the Department of Ecology and Environment of Shanxi Province. This signifies the official commencement of a package of projects under the strategic cooperation agreements signed by EF China with the two agencies earlier in 2023 and in 2022, respectively. Liu Bingjiang, Chief Engineer of China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment, also traveled to Shanxi to witness the launch of the projects, along with 36 leading experts—including those from the teams of professors Hao Jiming, Wang Shuxiao, Wang Can, Yang Xudong, and Fu Lin from Tsinghua University; those from the team of Deputy Director Yang Gang from the Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning; as well as those from the team of Deputy Director Zou Shiying from the Appraisal Center for Environment and Engineering.

Mr. Liu, the Chief Engineer, said that he hopes with the help of the experts, this series of projects would explore how to improve air quality and reduce carbon emissions simultaneously and build Linfen into a role model in China. He made a positive assessment of the long-time support EF China has provided for studies on air pollution control policies in China. According to Mr. Liu, Linfen has suffered from severe air pollution, thanks to its energy supply that is dominated by coal, industry mix that features coal-related steelmaking and coking sectors, and transportation structure that highlights diesel-powered freight transport of coal and other raw materials. The city should shift to a pathway of coordinated pollution reduction and carbon mitigation, with the focus on structural adjustments, such as long-distance heating, the elimination of coal-fired boilers, the replacement of scattered coal use with clean heating at altitudes, and hydrogen-powered freight transportation, he said. In so doing, Linfen will be built into a pioneer for coordinated pollution reduction and carbon mitigation, Mr. Liu said.

Wang Yanfeng, Mayor of Linfen City, said that in recent years, Linfen has promoted environmental protection while also advanced the upgrading of its industrial structure and the green transition of its economy. The fact that Linfen ranked first in Shanxi in economic growth in the first half of 2023 shows that environmental protection will not impede economic development, he said. The mayor also expressed gratitude to EF China for its continued support, and said that Linfen will provide comprehensive support and coordination for the studies.

Zou Ji said that for future cooperation in Linfen’s environmental improvement, it is important for us to help set a goal of building Linfen into a national pioneer for synergistic pollution reduction and carbon mitigation, seek new solutions that use the power of the market, establish an information sharing mechanism to provide professional support for related work, and strengthen coordination among the project teams. Zou pledged that EF China, as an international charitable organization that has worked in China for 24 years, will strictly comply with laws and regulations throughout the project implementation process.

Deputy Director Zou Shiying suggested that the researchers start from industrial mix and combine environmental issues with economic growth and energy supply considerations. He also underlined stationary source management and said that monthly, quarterly, and biannual reports of enterprises and other oversight tools should be comprehensively used.

During this two-day meeting, 16 research projects conducted by 14 implementing organizations were kicked off, and another two on-going projects were concluded. These projects will support Shanxi and Linfen to achieve air quality improvement-enabled carbon mitigation from the perspectives of environmental management, industry, transportation, urban planning, economics, and communications. The 36 experts are expected to provide science-based suggestions for the projects.

As the lead of the research teams, Professor Hao Jiming, who is also an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, emphasized the necessity of having a top-line strategy. He recommended close cooperation between Linfen and the research teams to jointly set the goals and indicators for air quality improvement and optimize research frameworks, implementation, and policy outcomes.

Also present at the meeting were Deputy Director Yan Gang from the Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning, Deputy Director Yin Hang from the Vehicle Emission Control Center of the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, and Deputy Dean Wang Ke from the Institute of Ecological and Environmental Civilization of Renmin University of China, among other experts.

Researchers, officials, experts, and EF China staff share their ideas at the two-day meeting from August 31 to September 1, 2023. Photo by EF China

EF China signed the memorandums of understanding on strategic cooperation with the Department of Ecology and Environment of Shanxi Province in 2022 and with the Government of Linfen City earlier in 2023, to jointly promote synergistic pollution reduction and carbon mitigation there. They are part of EF China’s subnational and local implementation efforts, which aim to support provinces and cities to make their energy transition and achieve low carbon development in a comprehensive and systematic manner. Going forward, EF China will continue to work with Shanxi and Linfen agencies, project implementing organizations, and researchers to ensure the outcomes of the analysis and education projects.