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Abstract: In this paper we give an overview of the situation of CO2 emissions in both Beijing and Tokyo and discuss and compare the causes for their emission changes according to decomposition based on both social activities and fuel varieties. We find that in order to enjoy a sustainable development, Beijing needs to learn from Tokyo especially in energy consumption area. At the end of the paper, the cooperation between these two metropolises is summarized. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Surface ozone (O3) pollution, a critical environmental challenge facing government agencies at all levels, is becoming more and more serious in China, especially in rapidly developing urban areas like Beijing. However, in China, few studies have evaluated the contribution of various pollution sources to surface O3, e.g. motor vehicles. In this paper, we combined a non-linear model with an analysis of motor vehicle emissions of NOx and VOCs in an integrated approach to estimate the contribution of motor vehicle emissions to surface O3. The model showed that, in urban areas of Beijing in 2000, the contribution of motor vehicle emissions to surface O3 was 45.9%, and that elimination of 20.0% of motor vehicle emissions will lead to a 7.4% reduction in surface O3, while elimination of 20.0% of NOx or VOC emissions from motor vehicles will result in a 5.0% and 2.5% decline, respectively, in surface O3. In addition, elimination of 10,000 t of NOX from motor vehicles results in the same reduction in surface O3 as elimination of 25,631 t of VOCs. Thus, controlling NOx, emissions from motor vehicles is an effective way to control surface O3 pollution in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a extra-large city in China, Beijing faces a serious problem with air pollution. In 1998, a package of air pollution control measures was announced by local government. However in order to reach environment target, further policy options have to be explored. Based on previous studies on technology choices for urban transport in Beijing, this paper presents a policy assessment to examine these options. A methodology framework using criteria for policy evaluation was used in the assessment. Here diesel-car, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) vehicle and Mass Railway based Transport (MRT) were selected, and barriers to their diffusion were identified. For each barrier, a group of policy options to remove the barrier was evaluated by five criteria. A ranking of these policy options is given in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The draft legislation on e-waste prepared by the Chinese national government assigns management responsibility to local governments. It is an urgent task for the municipal government to plan an effective system as soon as possible to divert the e-waste flow from the existing informal e-waste recycling processes. This paper presents a case study implemented in Beijing, the capital city of China, with the purpose of predicting the amount of obsolete equipment for five main kinds of electronic appliances from urban households and to analyse the flow after the end of their useful phase. The amount to be handled was 885 354 units in 2005 and is predicted to double by 2010. Due to consumption growth and the expansion of urbanization it is estimated that the amount will increase to approximate 2 820 000 units by 2020: 70% of the obsolete appliances will be awaiting collection for possible recycling, 7% will be stored at the owner's home for 1 year on average and 4% will be discarded directly and enter the municipal solid waste collecting system. The remaining items will be reused for about 3 years on average after the change of ownership. The results of this study will assist the waste management authorities of Beijing to plan the collecting system and facilities needed for management of e-waste generated in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To improve the air quality during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the Beijing Municipal Government enforced a series of emission control measures. This provided a valuable case study to evaluate the effectiveness of these aggressive measures on mitigating air pollution and improving the atmospheric environment. In this paper, we report the first results of the chemical and Sr isotopic compositions of the rainwater in Beijing during the 2008 Olympic year. The ionic composition of samples show that Ca2+ and NH4 + were the dominant cations, accounting for about 76–97% of the total cations, and that SO4 2− and NO3 − were the major anions, accounting for 61–91% of the total anions measured. Using Na as the indicator of marine origin and Al as that of terrestrial inputs, the proportions of sea salt and terrestrial elements were estimated from elemental ratios. The calculated results indicate that the major chemical components were mainly of non-sea-salt origin. Good correlation between Ca2+ and Sr2+ (R 2 =0.85) in rainwater samples indicates the potential of Sr as a provenance tracer for Ca. Sr2+ concentrations in rainwater samples ranged from 0.01 to 2.87μmoll−1, with 87Sr/86Sr ratios from 0.7092 to 0.7109. All of the samples had a 87Sr/86Sr ratio higher than that of seawater. The 87Sr/86Sr isotopic and elemental ratio systems show that the data set of rainwater was mainly distributed between the seawater end-member (~0.70917) and the soil dust end-member (0.7111–0.7115), and the analysis indicate that the effect of anthropogenic inputs could decrease in 2008. Comparisons of the chemical composition of the rainwater in different periods show that all chemical components, except NH4 +, had the lowest concentration levels during the Olympic Game period. The VWM concentrations of major ions in the rainwater decreased significantly during the Olympic period by up to 29% for SO4 2−, 39% for NO3 −, 38% for Ca2+, 51% for Mg2+, 57% for K+, and 44% for Na+, compared with the pre-control period. The concentrations of almost all species decreased during the 2008 Olympics, most likely due to both strict emission controls and favorable meteorological conditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Traffic congestion and air pollution were two major challenges for the planners of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The Beijing municipal government implemented a package of temporary transportation control measures during the event. In this paper, we report the results of a recent research project that investigated the effects of these measures on urban motor vehicle emissions in Beijing. Bottom–up methodology has been used to develop grid-based emission inventories with micro-scale vehicle activities and speed-dependent emission factors. The urban traffic emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 μm or less (PM10) during the 2008 Olympics were reduced by 55.5%, 56.8%, 45.7% and 51.6%, respectively, as compared to the grid-based emission inventory before the Olympics. Emission intensity was derived from curbside air quality monitoring at the North 4th Ring Road site, located about 7 km from the National Stadium. Comparison between the emission intensity before and during the 2008 Olympics shows a reduction of 44.5% and 49.0% in daily CO and NOx emission from motor vehicles. The results suggest that reasonable traffic system improvement strategies along with vehicle technology improvements can contribute to controlling total motor vehicle emissions in Beijing after the Olympic Games. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Vehicle exhaust emissions have posed a serious threat in recent years to the urban air quality of Beijing. It is necessary to accurately estimate the magnitude and distribution of these emissions in order to reduce the uncertainty of local scale air quality modeling assessment. This paper provides a bottom-up approach by combining vehicle emission factors and vehicle activity data from a travel demand model estimated at the grid level to generate vehicle emissions data for the Beijing urban area in 2005. In that year, vehicular emissions of HC, CO and NOx were respectively 13.33×104, 100.02×104 and 7.55×104 tons. The grid-based emissions were also compared with the vehicular emission inventory developed by macro-scale approach. It shows this bottom-up approach can result in better estimates of the levels and spatial distribution of vehicle emissions than the macro-scale method that relies on more average and aggregated information. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents a novel method for quantification of the total emission of gases from area sources using the mobile mini-DOAS (Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy) instrument, a ground based optical remote sensing technique. The presented method has been applied to measure the emission of SO2 and NO2 from the city of Beijing, P.R. China, on a time scale of approximately 2h. The measurements have been performed during two field campaigns, in April and in August 2005. The estimated emission of NO2 is roughly the same during the two field campaigns with an average emission of 189tonsd−1 during April and 174tonsd−1 during August. The estimated emission of SO2 varies greatly between the two periods, with an average emission of 293tonsd−1 during April and 52tonsd−1 during August. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Particulate air pollution is a serious problem in Beijing. The annual concentration of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 10 μm (PM10), ranging from 141 to 166 μg m−3 in 2000–2004, could be very harmful to human health. In this paper, we presented the mortality and morbidity effects of PM10 pollution based on statistical data and the epidemiological exposure–response function. The economic costs to health during the 5 years were estimated to lie between US$1670 and $3655 million annually, accounting for about 6. 55% of Beijing''s gross domestic product each year. The total costs were apportioned into two parts caused by: the local emissions and long-range transported pollution. The contribution from local emissions dominated the total costs, accounting on average for 3. 60% of GDP. However, the contributions from transported pollution cannot be neglected, and the relative percentage to the total costs from the other regions could account for about 45%. An energy policy and effective measures should be proposed to reduce particulate matter, especially PM2. 5 pollution in Beijing to protect public health. The Beijing government also needs to cooperate with the other local governments to reduce high background level of particulate air pollution. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A coupled ARPS–CMAQ modeling system was applied to investigate the atmospheric assimilative capacity (AAC) of PM10 in the Beijing metropolitan region of China. The AAC was defined as the maximum allowable pollutant emission that can be discharged to the atmosphere without violating the desired air quality objective in the planning region. The coupled modeling system was firstly evaluated through comparing the simulation results of PM10 concentration with the corresponding observations during four representative months in 2002, which showed an acceptable modeling performance. By using a trial-and-error approach, the validated modeling system was run through gradually reducing the emission strength within the modeling domain from a GIS-based pollutant emission database until a desired air quality objective was achieved. The air quality objective was characterized by the air quality guideline-satisfaction ratio (AQGSR) which was defined as the ratio of days when the daily PM10 concentrations are below the air quality standard during a certain time period. The PM10 emission within the modeling domain after such trial-and-error reduction under the condition of satisfying a certain AQGSR was considered its corresponding assimilative capacity. Accordingly, the atmospheric assimilative capacities of PM10 in the study region were identified corresponding to the AQGSR of 60, 65, 70, 75 and 80%, respectively. The relation between such capacity and guideline-satisfaction ratio was then established through regression analysis. The results could provide sound basis for decision makers in terms of effective air quality management by understanding the allowable pollutant discharge under different desired air quality objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]