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We develop a multicriteria decision-making model coupled with scenario analysis to quantitatively elucidate the reciprocal effect between a mandatory pollutant emissions reduction policy and industrial structure change within the manufacturing sector on the basis of an in-depth study of a well-developed coastal area in East China, Ningbo City, toward 2020. First, 18 two-digit level industries (TDLIs) in the manufacturing sector are screened out due to intensive emissions of the four pollutants (COD, NH3-N, SO2, and NOx). Second, a model is established to identify the optimal solution for the industrial structure adjustment of the 18 TDLIs under two scenarios, the "business-as-usual" scenario and the "industrial structure adjustment" scenario. Both scenarios are expanded into three subscenarios. Quantitative constraint conditions and two criteria are formulated to screen out the optimal solutions. We propose a coefficient of industrial structure adjustment, Ki, which could clearly reflect the policy preference in terms of industrial development and reallocate the quota of the four-pollutant emission among the 18 TDLIs with regards to the different expectations of economy development in 2020. The model will help local authorities make tailored policies to reduce pollution emissions effectively through industrial structure change by delicately allocating the pollutant emission quota and setting reasonable targets of emission intensity reduction among TDLIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluates how well China's 11th and 12th Five-Year Plans have been implemented in terms of energy conservation and air pollution control and deconstructs the effects of the economic, energy, and environmental policies included in the Plans. A "counterfactual" comparative-scenario method is deployed, which assumes a business as usual scenario in which the changes in economic, energy, and environmental parameters are "frozen", and then reactivates them one by one, with the help of LEAP modeling. It is found that during the 11th Five-Year Plan period, the binding targets were basically achieved. Economic growth put a great strain upon the energy demand and the environment, but energy policy made a decisive contribution by promoting energy efficiency and structure. Environmental policy promoted the deployment of end-of-pipe treatment which led to the control of certain air pollutants but at the expense of an increase in energy use and in the emission of other pollutants. During the ongoing 12th Five-Year Plan period, energy policy's potential for efficiency improvement is shrinking, but economic policy is restraining economic growth thus making a positive contribution. Environmental policy attempts to enforce multipollutant reduction, but there is still insufficient focus on the cocontrol of different pollutants and CO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has suffered frequent source water contamination accidents in the past decade, which has resulted in severe consequences to the water supply of millions of residents. The origins of typical cases of contamination are discussed in this paper as well as the emergency response to these accidents. In general, excessive pursuit of rapid industrialization and the unreasonable location of factories are responsible for the increasing frequency of accidental pollution events. Moreover, insufficient attention to environmental protection and rudimentary emergency response capability has exacerbated the consequences of such accidents. These environmental accidents triggered or accelerated the promulgation of stricter environmental protection policy and the shift from economic development mode to a more sustainable direction, which should be regarded as the turning point of environmental protection in China. To guarantee water security, China is trying to establish a rapid and effective emergency response framework, build up the capability of early accident detection, and develop efficient technologies to remove contaminants from water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beijing, the capital of China, has experienced rapid motorization since 1990; a trend that is likely to continue. The growth in vehicles and the corresponding emissions create challenges to improving the urban air quality. In an effort to reduce the impact of vehicle emissions on urban air quality, Beijing has adopted a number of vehicle emission control strategies and policies since the mid 1990s. These are classified into seven categories: (1) emission control on new vehicles; (2) emission control on in-use vehicles; (3) fuel quality improvements; (4) alternative-fuel and advanced vehicles; (5) economic policies; (6) public transport; and (7) temporal traffic control measures. Many have proven to be successful, such as the Euro emission standards, unleaded gasoline and low sulfur fuel, temporal traffic control measures during the Beijing Olympic Games, etc. Some, however, have been failures, such as the gasoline-to-LPG taxi retrofit program. Thanks to the emission standards for new vehicles as well as other controls, the fleet-average emission rates of CO, HC, NOX, and PM10 by each major vehicle category are decreasing over time. For example, gasoline cars decreased fleet-average emission factors by 12.5% for CO, 10.0% for HC, 5.8% for NOX, and 13.0% for PM10 annually since 1995, and such a trend is likely to continue. Total emissions for Beijing's vehicle fleet increased from 1995 to 1998. However, they show a clear and steady decrease between 1999 and 2009. In 2009, total emissions of CO, HC, NOX, and PM10 were 845000 t, 121000 t, 84000 t, and 3700 t, respectively; with reductions of 47%, 49%, 47%, and 42%, relative to 1998. Beijing has been considered a pioneer in controlling vehicle emissions within China, similar to the role of California to the U.S. The continued rapid growth of vehicles, however, is challenging Beijing's policy-makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese government has moved aggressively since 2005 to reduce emissions of a number of pollutants including primary particulate matter (PM) and sulfur dioxide (SO2), efforts inadvertently aided since late 2008 by economic recession. Satellite observations of aerosol optical depth (AOD) and column nitrogen dioxide (NO2) provide independent indicators of emission trends, clearly reflecting the sharp onset of the recession in the fall of 2008 and rebound of the economy in the latter half of 2009. Comparison of AOD with ground-based observations of PM over a longer period indicate that emission-control policies have not been successful in reducing concentrations of aerosol pollutants at smaller size range over industrialized regions of China. The lack of success is attributed to the increasing importance of anthropogenic secondary aerosols formed from precursor species including nitrogen oxides (NOx), non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC) and ammonia (NH3). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emissions trading is considered to be a cost-effective environmental economic instrument for pollution control. However, the pilot emissions trading programs in China have failed to bring remarkable success in the campaign for pollution control. The policy design of an emissions trading program is found to have a decisive impact on its performance. In this study, an artificial market for sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions trading applying the agent-based model was constructed. The performance of the Jiangsu SO2 emissions trading market under different policy design scenario was also examined. Results show that the market efficiency of emissions trading is significantly affected by policy design and existing policies. China's coal-electricity price system is the principal factor influencing the performance of the SO2 emissions trading market. Transaction costs would also reduce market efficiency. In addition, current-level emissions discharge fee/tax and banking mechanisms do not distinctly affect policy performance. Thus, applying emissions trading in emission control in China should consider policy design and interaction with other existing policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on China's efforts to reduce pollution. It comments on the environmentally-friendly architecture used to host the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, including such endeavors as recycled water and biodegradable plastics. It mentions that China burns enough coal for electricity and energy and accounts to almost five percent of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. It comments on the State Environmental Protection Administration of China and the Ministry of Environmental Protection's (MEP) efforts to enforce environmental standards, and of resistance to mandates by local governments in China to keep up environmental growth. It mentions that there is a partnership between the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the MEP to help China improve energy efficiency.

The article provides a historical perspective on Chinese afforestation projects and an exploratory assessment of their impacts in terms of soil moisture, hydrology, and vegetation coverage. The author examines the potential connections between environmental policy and environmental sustainability in China. According to the author, it would be more effective to focus on re-creating natural ecosystems that are more suitable for local environments, rather than focusing solely on afforestation in China.

Discusses developments in China's environmental policy as of June 1995. Evolving environmental regulations; Development of a pollution levy system in 1979; Design limitations; Local resistance; Development of other environmental incentives since 1989; Monitoring and enforcement problems.

The article discusses the reformation of the industrial pollution control through interdisciplinary collaboration in China. Topics discussed include the regulatory obligations for the environmental departments, the establishment of standardized market that trade industrial pollution control services, and the improvement of efficient facilities and plant operation.

The authors discuss the need for careful analysis of how to properly implement and design Payments for Ecosystem Services programs based from China's experience of restoring degraded cropland under the Sloping Land Conversion Program. The authors state the importance of identifying local ecological conditions such as soil fertility for the recovered ecosystem to function properly. Also discussed is the significance of focusing on the program's impacts and configuration at the landscape level.

The authors discuss the policy experiment conducted in China for transprovincial watershed protection. The authors say that the policy experiment was intended for addressing conditionality and distribution issues through the integration of Polluter Pays Principle and Beneficiary Pays Principle. The authors are critical to the policy in which some issues have not been recognized by policy makers such as water quality standards, in connection to climate change.

In this article the authors discuss aspects of particulate matter (PM) monitoring and mitigation in China's cities. They note the negative health aspects of exposure to suspended PM in metropolitan areas, a debate among health experts, the media, and the public in Beijing regarding the dangers of PM with an aerodynamic diameter of ≤2.5 micrometers (µm) (PM2.5), and the challenges of implementing China's four-step PM2.5 monitoring program.

In this article the author discusses rebuilding government credibility in environmental resident activism in China. He notes that the most common form of environmental activism in China is neighborhood-based environmental resident protest, occurring in areas with high levels of urbanization and industrialization. He discusses how a lack of environmental information disclosure by local governments and scientists has created distrust among residents and how they can rebuild credibility.

In this article the authors discuss the challenges and the opportunities for China in achieving national emission reduction targets. Topics include China's national emission reduction policy, which targets the reduction of energy consumption and primary pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide, over a five year period from 2006-2010, the failure of local governments to meet nitrogen emission targets, and the adoption of an integrated approach to meet the challenges of emission reduction.

The article discusses death villages, areas in China which have high rates of mortality and illnesses such as cancer due to environmental pollution, and examines issues of sustainable growth. The authors argue that while China has invested in environmental conservation and created regulations and policies, economic loss continues to expand due to environmental degradation and some policies related to economic development have caused people to ignore environmental protection laws.

The authors present ways to relieve water shortages in China, noting means that include transformations in economic growth, technological innovations in water conservation and treatment, and policy reforms. A mismatch in water demand and the location of water resources in China is described. China is said to be increasing its efforts to have a service-based economy, while a knowledge economy is its ultimate goal. Reduced water demands that will be realized from technological innovations in agricultural, industrial, and municipal sectors are discussed.

In this article the author discusses China's response to climate change. According to the author, China is the largest contributor to climate change via carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. He notes that under the Kyoto Protocol, China is considered a developing country and is not subject to the Protocol's emission limits. Topics include an overview of China's national position regarding climate change and the development of carbon markets in China.

The author discusses China's government and its decision making, opining on changes that could improve the country's control of environmental problems. The author believes that China's focus on short-term political and economic goals is incompatible with longer-term thinking that is needed to address environmental degradation. The author describes China's Grain for Green Project that subsidizes farmers who abandon their livelihood, if unsustainable, but offers no optional vocational guidance.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Chromium Contamination Accident in China: Viewing Environment Policy of China," by Yang Gao and J. Xia, published in volume 45 of the journal.

Reports on the implementation of the revised pollution law in China in early September 2000. Granting of rights to local governments to adopt more stringent pollution control measures set fines for excessive discharges; Top pollutants plaguing Chinese cities.