1 research outputs found
Costs and Benefits of Household Fuel Policies and Alternative Strategies in the Jing-Jin-Ji Region
Air pollution is still one of the most severe problems
in northern
China, especially in the Jing-Jin-Ji region around Beijing. In recent
years, China has implemented many stringent policies to address the
air quality issue, including promoting energy transition toward cleaner
fuels in residential sectors. But until 2020, even in the Jing-Jin-Ji
region, nearly half of the rural households still use solid fuels
for heating. For residents who are not covered by the clean heating
campaign, we analyze five potential mitigation strategies and evaluate
their environmental effects as well as the associated health benefits
and costs. We estimate that substitution with electricity or gas would
reduce air pollution and premature mortality more strongly, while
the relatively low investment costs of implementing clean coal or
biomass pellet lead to a larger benefit–cost ratio, indicating
higher cost efficiency. Hence, clean coal or biomass pellet could
be transitional substitution options for the less developed or remote
areas which cannot afford a total transition toward electricity or
natural gas in the short term