Air Pollution in China

SN2B02 Disaster and Global Health Challenges

Group members :
CHAN Hei Shen
16046523D
CHAU SIN YI
16046622D
CHEUNG WAI YAN
16054208D
HO SIN YU
16030142D
LAI SZE WING 16030096D
Background

Jan 2013
1.4 million km2 of China
>800 million people were affected

Dec 2013-- Eastern China

Shanghai, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong
Reducing visibility to less than 50 meters

Feb 2014-- Beijing

High level of particulate matter for 6 consecutive days
Orange alert

Dec 2015-- Beijing

Red alert
Causes

1. Industrialization
. Agricultural to modern society
. Rapid industrialization & urbanization
. Manufacturing industries + coal-burning electricity plants + construction sites
. Insufficient regulation on coal emission lots of industrial dusts

2. Vehicles emission
. no. of vehicle : 264 million vehicles in 2014

17 million cars were newly added in 2015

. vehicle population + outdated emission control policies major sources

Impact (1) - Respiratory diseases

Pollutants e.g. Sulphur dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen dioxide (NO2),

Ozone (O3)
Impair lung function and cause breathing difficulties
Trigger inflammation and narrowing of airway
*especially in children
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD),
chronic bronchitis, asthma and lung cancer
Impact (1) - Respiratory diseases

In 2010, > 3,000 and 2,000 PM2.5 induced deaths in Shanghai and
Beijing

PM 2.5 (particulate matter)

- carry heavy metals,
microorganisms
and carcinogens into lungs

- enter the bloodstream

Impact (2) - Block transportation by smog

Industrial and automobile activities:

Nitrogen oxides & Fine particles

urban photochemical smog
service disruption of public transport services

2013 Eastern China Smog

seriously affected Shanghai and Tianjin
massive fog & haze level
over 50 flights were diverted 2013 Eastern China Smog
Impact (2) - Block transportation by smog

1.Traffic accidents
In Oct 2010,
32 people died in traffic accidents
because of low visibility

Stationary moving air masses:

Changes in wind pattern
long-range transport of air pollutants
enhance urban heat islands

Thick layers of smog:

Cut visibility
traffic accidents
Impact (2) - Block transportation by
smog

2. Response time for emergency services

More people suffer from respiratory diseases
No. of people going to hospitals

Blocked transportation
Time for ambulance services
Delay rescue time
Make the patient in damage
Patient load for hospitals
Measure (1) - Quit coal

Reduce the reliance on coal

i. Switch to clean-energy alternatives

ii. Promote the use of natural gas
Measure (1) - Quit coal
i. Switch to clean-energy alternatives

Solar energy
Widely used in Germany

Reliable, inexhaustible and renewable

Higher cost to install the distributed and utility scale solar system
at
the beginning
Enjoy economies of scale once the power plant have built
Measure (1) - Quit coal
i. Switch to clean-energy alternatives

Utilization of solar heat

Solar heat building provide heat in winter in Northern China

Use coal 1m2 of building need about 30-40 kg

coal
Use solar 1m2 can save about 20 kg coal
energy
Save abundance of coal
No pollutant is exhausted

Solar water heater

Heating water for domestic, commercial and industrial use
Measure (1) - Quit coal
i. Switch to clean-energy alternatives

Rural area in China: With vast terrain

Plenty of sunshine

China has abundant solar energy:

the annual hours of sunlight is more than
3200
Measure (1) - Quit coal
ii. Promote the use of natural gas

The contribution of natural gas to total energy consumption in

China = only 6.2% in 2014

Natural gas: Cleanest fossil fuel

Emit carbon dioxide 45% less than coal
Lower climate impacts than coal plants
Reliable: less affected by weather
Easy to be stored and transported through
pipelines
Used in residential use
Measure (2) - Regulate vehicles emission

i. Traffic Calming
ii. Traffic Ban
iii. Electric Vehicles
iv. Ultra-Low Sulphur Diesel
 Measure (2) - Regulate vehicles
emission
i. Traffic Calming
no. of accidents speed level of cars

To improve transport safety:

Vehicle speed limits
particularly in residential areas
no. of accidents
have been used in Denmark, Germany since 1970s

In UK:
nitrogen oxides emissions by 4%
C02 emissions by 3%
 Measure (2) - Regulate vehicles
emission
ii. Traffic Ban
Reduce the total volume vehicles in a designated area

Reduce exhaust emissions in targeted area

eg: Germany 40% carbon monoxide
Applied to a type of vehicle
eg: vehicles with odd or even licence plates on alternative days
Encourage cleaner vehicles
banning all but clean technology vehicles (eg: electric
vehicles)
Measure (2) - Regulate vehicles
emission
E.g. Odd-Even license plates restrictions
Cars with license plates end in odd/even number are allowed
on alternating days
About half of the cars will be barred on any particular days

To extend the use of odd-even license plates restriction in China

- had been implemented only in limited provinces
/during special occasions like Beijing Olympic Games & APEC
meeting

Successful example: Lanzhou

dropped off the list of the top 10 most polluted cities in China
after implementation
 Measure (2) - Regulate vehicles emission
iii. Electric Vehicle Usage?

Electric and plug-in hybrid car sales in China quadrupled to 351,000 in

2015 In the five years ending December 31, 2015, the company BYD
reported receiving a total of 2.9 billion yuan in government
support

To continues providing subsidies to electric car manufacturer

To provide free parking
To develop extensive network of charging stations
To permit accesses to public bus lane
Measure (2) - Regulate vehicles
emission
iv. Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD)
Commonly used in the U.S.
Cleaner burning diesel fuel
97% less sulfur than low-sulphur diesel

To encourage the use of ULSD:

Subsidize fuel manufacturer

produce more ULSD
sell ULSD at lower prices
Promote the advantages to drivers
e.g. safe to use, more efficient even in cold weather
 Conclusion
Health Impacts
Respiratory diseases
Block transportation by smog
Measures
Switch to clean-energy
alternatives
Promote use of natural gas
Traffic calming
Traffic ban
Electrical vehicles
Ultra-low sulphur diesel
 References

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