In September, Energy Foundation China and grantee the Chinese Academy for Environmental Planning (CAEP) held a seminar on the air pollution prevention and control in the greater Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (or Jing-Jin-Ji) region and the Fenhe-Weihe plains, areas that have suffered suffocating smog in China. The seminar was held under the Cooperation Framework Agreement (2019-2023) between China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment and Energy Foundation China, hoping to promote the co-management of major atmospheric pollutants and GHGs during the 14th Five-Year Plan period.

Experts evaluated the effectiveness of air pollution prevention measures introduced and implemented during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020), and discussed potential policy priorities for the next five years. They carefully looked into stress areas and industries that are producing severe air pollution, in particular in the above-mentioned two regions. The discussion was based on progress reporting of six research projects supported by Energy Foundation China, including topics of cost-benefit analysis for environmental policies, co-control strategies during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, regulation of air pollution in the greater Jing-Jin-Ji region, and air quality protection plan for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

The seminar formed policy recommendations in three key aspects: first is to develop a climate coordinated air pollution control strategy while strengthening regional regulation and oversight of air pollution; second is to control pollution from burning disaggregated coal for residential heating and promote their replacement by clean and renewable energy; and third is to use economics analysis to quantify the costs and benefits of the environmental policies.

The two organizers of the seminar plan to summarize the expert opinions and continue to provide well-balanced technical support and education to inform environmental regulators’ sectoral 14th Five-Year Plans.