Jinghua Fang

Co-benefits of climate policy--lessons learned from a study in Shanxi, China

We analyse health benefits and socio-economic costs of CO2-abating options related to coal consumption in Shanxi, China. Emission reductions are estimated for SO2 and particles in addition to CO2. Co-benefits of each option are estimated in terms of how effectively it improves local air quality and thereby reduces health damage from pollution. The population-weighted exposure level for particles and SO2 is estimated using air quality monitoring data, and a simplified methodology is applied to estimate the reduced exposure to the population that may result from implementing the abatement measures. Exposure–response functions from Chinese and international epidemiological studies are used to estimate the ensuing health effects. A method for estimating the impact of chronic PM10 exposure on life expectancy in the affected population is developed and applied. An economic evaluation of the reduced health effect is made by determining unit prices of health impacts based partly on damage costs and partly on the willingness-to-pay approach. Our assessment of CO2-reducing abatement options in Shanxi demonstrates that these measures entail large co-benefits and are highly profitable in a socio-economic sense.

Coal utilization in industrial boilers in China --a prospect for mitigating CO2 emissions

It is estimated from GEF statistical data for 1991 that more than 500,000 industrial boilers (mostly stoker-fired) in China consume over 400 million tons of coal per year. Each year, because of low boiler efficiency, 75 million tons of coal is wasted and 130 million tons of excess CO2 are emitted. An analysis of 250 boiler thermal-balance test certificates and 6 field visits in three provinces have shown that: (1) boilers with efficiencies of less than 70% account for 75% of the total boiler-population; (2) the main causes of the low efficiencies are high excess air and unburned carbon in the slag and fly ash. The effect of unburned carbon on CO2 emission is a balance of positive and negative contributions: while the unburned carbon does not produce CO2 emissions, its replacement carbon, burned at a low efficiency, contributes to a net increase in CO2 emissions. It seems from the analysis that the average boiler efficiency can be raised to 73% by relatively simple means, such as the size grading of the coal, improved boiler operating practice and some inexpensive equipment modifications. This could then result in savings each year of 34 million tons of coal and a reduction in CO2 emissions of 63 million tons at an estimated cost of

Co-benefits of CO 2 -reducing policies in China - a matter of scale?

10 per ton of CO2.

A proposed industrial-boiler efficiency program in Shanxi: potential CO2-mitigation, health benefits and associated costs

Acknowledgement of potential co-benefits - i.e. positive side-effects - of greenhouse gas mitigation policies may be of importance to promote climate policies. This paper argues that the issues of local and regional air pollution and their short to medium-term effects on human health and environment as well as greenhouse gas mitigation policies are environmental policy areas which would benefit from an integrated approach. The paper shows that contemporary Chinese policies aiming at improving energy efficiency and local air quality may lead to large reductions of CO2. Conversely, an active Chinese climate policy would likely entail reductions in emissions of air pollutants and reduced damage to human health and environment as a co-benefit. The magnitude of these short to medium-term co-benefits is, however, not clear. In the paper, we present and compare estimates of co-benefits of CO2-reducing projects and policies from studies that we have carried out in China. The studies comprise a bottom-up study in the capital of Shanxi province (Taiyuan), a semi-bottom-up study in Shanxi province as a whole, and a top-down study using a computable general equilibrium model (CGE) for China. In comparing the various options for reducing CO2, we find that the estimated co-benefits per ton carbon reduced show greater variation between options the more detailed the study design is in terms of taking into account local features of emissions and exposure.

Cleaner production as climate investment—integrated assessment in Taiyuan City, China

An industrial boiler-efficiency improvement program (IBEI) that focuses on simple, inexpensive measures to improve the operating efficiency of coal-fired industrial boilers in Shanxi, China, is presented. The potential mitigation of CO2 emissions and its cost, based on this program, are calculated together with estimates of health benefits associated with the reduction of air pollution. The results show that, if the average efficiency of industrial boilers were improved from 60 to 70%, 3 million tons of coal could be saved, and CO2 emissions be reduced by 5 million tons annually at a cost of less than US

Climate change and air quality - measures with co-benefits in China

2 per ton of CO2. The health benefits are valued at about US

Mitigating GHGs in Developing Countries

86 million per year, including the avoidance of about 700 premature deaths annually. The proposed IBEI program would, therefore provide an ideal case by which to address the issue of global warming in China and to achieve national goals concerning the growth of the economy, and environmental protection.