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This article examines the changing role of the local government's environmental management in Guangzhou, China, through a historical content analysis of archival data. Environmental governance in Guangzhou has followed a government-led, top-down model. The content analysis showed that over the past four decades, the role of Guangzhou's municipal environmental governance has been characterized by transformation -- from passive responses to accelerating and securing economic growth, and finally to active interventions that balance economic growth and ecological protection. The changing role of the Guangzhou government in environmental governance is driven by varied urban political priorities at different historical stages. This article argues that the urban political economy and the national government's commitment to pragmatic, sustainable development shaped the local government's response to environmental problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particle number size distributions were simultaneously measured at the Guangzhou (GZ) urban site (23.13°N, 113.26°E) and the Back-garden (BG) rural site (23.5°N, 113.03°E) in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region in July, 2006. It provided new findings into the evolution of particle number size distribution and new particle formation (NPF) in two different environments. Number concentration of particles (20 nm–10 μm diameter) at GZ was about 70% higher than at BG and significantly affected by traffic emission. However, number concentrations of the regional aerosols (100–660 nm) were (6 ± 3) × 103 cm−3 at both sites. At BG, the diurnal variation of particle number size distributions showed an obvious particle growth process beginning at about 9:00 (LT), probably caused by NPF. In contrast, particle number concentrations in the size rages of 20–45 nm, 45–100 nm, and 100–660 nm showed similar trends with two main peaks at about 12:00 (LT) and 19:00 (LT) at GZ. NPF events were observed at both sites, but the occurrence frequency at GZ was about 50% lower than at BG. Regional NPF events at both sites probably in the same air mass were simultaneously observed with similar growth rates, concentrations and production rates of the condensable vapors, and condensational sinks on July 6. On the whole, deceasing traffic emission will improve air quality efficiently in the aspect of particle number concentration and fine particulate pollution in the summer of PRD should be controlled in a regional scale, especially with stagnant air mass from South China Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: With the new air quality standards forthcoming in China, the Pearl River Delta region is facing new challenges to achieve its air quality goal. The success of the emission reduction measures introduced by local authorities in the run-up to the Guangzhou Asian Games demonstrated that the Pearl River Delta air quality can be improved by introducing integrated emission reduction measures. This paper combines observation data, emission reduction measures, and air quality simulations that were applied during the Asian Games (12–27 November 2010) to analyze the relationship between emissions and concentrations of pollutants in Guangzhou. The Asian Games abatement strategy totally reduced emissions of 41.1% SO2, 41.9% NO x , 26.5% PM10, 25.8% PM2.5 and 39.7% VOC. The concentrations of SO2, NO2, PM10 and PM2.5 were reduced by 66.8%, 51.3%, 21.5% and 17.1%, respectively. In Guangzhou, the main challenge to be overcome with the new air quality daily requirements is mostly for NO2, PM2.5, and hourly ozone maxima. If pollutants maintain the same concentrations before and after the Asian Games, there will be 47.4% and 31.6% non-attainment days for NO2 and PM2.5 respectively as a period average. Although PM10 concentration can meet the daily limits (150 μg m−3), it is quite difficult to meet the annual limit value (70 μg m−3). One important implication is that the long-term, step-by-step integrated measures of the past six years work better than the strict, intensive, short-term measures on SO2, NO2 and VOC control. Dust control by limiting construction sites and watering the roads can further reduce 12.8% of the PM10 concentration. However, to reduce ambient PM2.5, the abatement strategy should be more complex and extensive. On the contrary, ozone pollution was not improved during the Asian Games, indicating that alleviation strategies should be improved by scientific studies to determine the appropriate control ratio of NO2 and VOC in the Pearl River Delta region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Guangzhou government adopted many vehicle emission control policies and strategies during the five-year preparation (2005–2009) to host the 2010 Asian Games. This study established a multi-year emission inventory for vehicles in Guangzhou during 2005–2009 and estimated the uncertainty in total vehicle emissions by taking the assumed uncertainties in fleet-average emission factors and annual mileage into account. In 2009, the estimated total vehicle emissions in Guangzhou were 313 000 (242 000–387 000) tons of CO, 60 900 (54 000–70 200) tons of THC, 65 600 (56 800–74 100) tons of NO x and 2740 (2100–3400) tons of PM10. Vehicle emissions within the urban area of Guangzhou were estimated to be responsible for ∼40% of total gaseous pollutants and ∼25% of total PM10 in the entire city. Although vehicle use intensity increased rapidly in Guangzhou during 2005–2009, vehicle emissions were estimated to have been reduced by 12% for CO, 21% for THC and 20% for PM10 relative to those in 2005. NO x emissions were estimated to have remained almost constant during this period. Compared to the “without control” scenario, 19% (15%–23%) of CO, 20% (18%–23%) of THC, 9% (8%–10%) of NO x and 16% (12%–20%) of PM10 were estimated to have been mitigated from a combination of the implementation of Euro III standards for light-duty vehicles (LDVs) and heavy-duty diesel vehicles and improvement of fuel quality. This study also evaluated several enhanced vehicle emission control actions taken recently. For example, the enhanced I/M program for LDVs was estimated to reduce 11% (9%–14%) of CO, 9% (8%–10%) of THC and 2% (2%–3%) of NO x relative to total vehicle emissions in 2009. Total emission reductions by temporary traffic controls for the Asian Games were estimated equivalent to 9% (7%–11%) of CO, 9% (8%–10%) of THC, 5% (5%–6%) of NO x and 10% (8%–13%) of PM10 estimated total vehicle emissions in 2009. Those controls are essential to further vehicle emission mitigation in Guangzhou required by the new National Ambient Air Quality Standards. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The enforcement behaviour of environmental officials in developing countries has not received adequate attention despite enormous challenges to regulatory enforcement in those areas. Accordingly, this article examines the relationship between perceptions of support from local governments and society and evaluations of enforcement effectiveness. A model in which organisational commitment partially mediates these relationships was tested using a sample of 202 enforcement officials in Guangzhou. China. The findings confirm a partial mediating role for organisational commitment and an interaction effect between government and societal support. A plot of this interaction reveals that when enforcement officials perceive high levels of governmental support, societal support further enhances their perceptions of enforcement effectiveness. However, when they perceive government support to be low, higher levels of societal support appear to diminish their assessments of enforcement effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to achieve urban sustainability has become an indication of the competence of a municipal government aiming to gain world class status for the city. While both Guangzhou and Hong Kong are Chinese cities having their own formulation of urban sustainability, the implementation details and the actual sustainability blueprints are very different. As a result, the outcomes and prospects for urban sustainability are also different. Hong Kong has adopted a less integrative and more institutionally-oriented approach for urban sustainability Guangzhou has used the conventional approach to formulate an integrated sustainability programme for its local Agenda 21. Hong Kong's action plan emphasizes improving coordination, making objective assessments and achieving consistency in policy-making. Guangzhou, on the other hand, emphasizes the meeting of concrete environmental targets. Unfortunately, the new institutional arrangement and monitoring tools adopted by Hong Kong have not been able to achieve the original intent and neither is there the intention to go tot) far beyond the weak sustainability approach. On the contrary, Guangzhou has planned and attempted to incorporate industrial ecology in its development regime while heavily investing into pollution control programmes and pushing forward a green community programme at the grass-roots level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the interactions between environmental agencies and public opinion in developing countries. Environmental governance in Guangzhou, China; Effort of the Guangzhou Environmental Protection Bureau to cultivate an environmentally sensitive community; Bureau's handling of complaints and its institutional constraints on mobilizing greater public support.

The Greater Bay Area (GBA) of China is experiencing a high level of exposure to outdoor PM2.5 pollution. The variations in the exposure level are determined by spatiotemporal variations in the PM2.5 concentration and population. To better guide public policies that aim to reduce the population exposure level, it is essential to explicitly decompose and assess the impacts of different factors. This study took advantage of high-resolution satellite observations to characterize the long-term variations in population exposure to outdoor PM2.5 for cities in the GBA region during the three most-recent Five-Year Plan (FYP) periods (2001–2015). A new decomposition method was then used to assess the impact of PM2.5 variations and demographic changes on the exposure variation. Within the decomposition framework, an index of pollution-population-coincidence–induced PM2.5 exposure (PPCE) was introduced to characterize the interaction of PM2.5 and the population distribution. The results showed that the 15-year average PPCE levels in all cities were positive (e.g., 6 µg/m3 in Guangzhou), suggesting that unfavorable city planning had led to people dwelling in polluted areas. An analyses of the spatial differences in PM2.5 changes showed that urban areas experienced a greater decrease in PM2.5 concentration than did rural areas in most cities during the 11th (2006–2010) and 12th (2011–2015) FYP periods. These spatial differences in PM2.5 changes reduced the PPCE levels of these cities and thus reduced the exposure levels (by as much as -0.58 µg/m3/year). The population migration resulting from rapid urbanization, however, increased the PPCE and exposure levels (by as much as 0.18 µg/m3/year) in most cities during the three FYP periods considered. Dongguan was a special case in that the demographic change reduced the exposure level because of its rapid development of residential areas in cleaner regions adjacent to Shenzhen. The exposure levels in all cities remained high because of the high mean PM2.5 concentrations and their positive PPCE. To better protect public health, control efforts should target densely populated areas and city planning should locate more people in cleaner areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]