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From 1990 to 2017, the number of vehicles in China increased sharply from 5 million to 310 million, and vehicle emissions became one of the major sources of air pollution. Among the main sources of PM 2.5 in Beijing, the contributions from vehicle sources increased from 5.6% (2000) to 31.1% (2012) to 45% (2017). In 2010, the CO, hydrocarbon (HC), NO x , and particulate matter (PM) emissions of yellow-label vehicles (YLVs) accounted for 46.1%, 47.9%, 63.1% and 86.1% of the total emissions from on-road vehicles. In recent years, China has been implementing a YLV scrappage subsidy policy to control air pollution, and this policy has cost several hundred billion yuan nationwide. However, China has not evaluated the costs and benefits of the policy. Many people question whether the YLV scrappage subsidy policy is worthwhile, but all the stakeholders involved complicate the process of accurately evaluating the true value of the policy. In this study, we evaluated and compared the costs and benefits of the policy in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region based on 1.362 million YLVs from 2008 to 2015. Because of the implementation of the policy, the PM 2.5 , PM 10 , NO x , CO and HC emissions in the BTH region decreased by 16.46, 18.12, 174.44, 669.11, and 91.64 kt, respectively, in 2008–2015. The results show that the policy played an important role in reducing pollutant emissions and improving environmental quality in the BTH region. The costs, benefits, and net benefits of the policy were 13.69, 34.03, and 20.34 billion yuan , respectively. The cost-benefit ratio in the BTH region was 1:2.49; at the city scale, Beijing ranked first (1:7.27), and the cost-benefit ratios of Tianjin and Hebei Province were 1:2.06 and 1:1.14, respectively. Of the 13 cities in the BTH region, Beijing had the highest net benefits, amounting to 16.43 billion yuan , while Handan City has the lowest net benefits, amounting to −0.58 billion yuan. The results may provide scientific support for the promotion of older vehicle and diesel vehicle scrappage subsidy policies, the development of cost-benefit analysis (CBA), and effective environmental decision-making in China. • Based on net number of scrappage YLVs, net benefits of the policy are calculated. • This paper estimates costs and benefits of the policy based on 1.27 million YLVs. • The costs, benefits, and net benefits are 13.69, 34.03, and 20.34 billion yuan. • The results help China promote vehicle scrappage subsidy policy on a large scale. • The results promote the development of the cost-benefit analysis in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Provinces that provide emission-intensive products now are facing huge financial pressure to control regional air pollutant emissions. Assessing the actual regional air emission abatement costs of each province from the consumer perspective can help to clarify regional pollution abatement responsibilities and formulate sound monetary compensation policies between consumers and producers in China. In this study, we employ a multiregional input-output model to estimate the total air pollution abatement costs and economic benefits caused by interregional trade for each region in 2012. The results indicate that regions with higher GDP per capita, such as the Beijing-Tianjin, East Coast, and South Coast regions, outsourced total pollution abatement costs (TPAC) for air emissions to undeveloped central and western regions via interregional trade within China. Based on a comparison of the cost-benefit index among regions, wealthy regions left nearly 80% of their consumption-based value added locally but outsourced more than 50% of their consumption-based TPAC to other regions, especially to northwestern and central regions with lower GDP per capita. Such a mismatch necessitates in-depth cross-boundary collaboration for control of air pollutant emissions in regions suffering terrible haze problems, such as the North China Plain. • Regional air emission abatement costs embodied in interregional trade are assessed. • Central, Northwest, and North regions have higher production-based TPAC nationwide. • Developing regions suffered more air emission control costs from developed regions. • Shanxi suffered the highest inequity when trading with Beijing nationwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]