The Increasing Role of Synergistic Effects in Carbon Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement, and Its Associated Health Benefits in China

A synergistic pathway is regarded as a critical measure for tackling the intertwined challenges of climate change and air pollution in China. However, there is as yet no indicator that can comprehensively reflect such synergistic effects;hence, existing studies lack a consistent framework for comparison. Here, we introduce a new synergistic indicator defined as the pollutant generation per gross domestic product (GDP) and adopt an integrated analysis framework by linking the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) method, response surface model (RSM), and global exposure mortality model (GEMM) to evaluate the synergistic effects of carbon mitigation on both air pollutant reduction and public health in China. The results show that synergistic effects played an increasingly important role in the emissions mitigation of SO_(2), NOx, and primary particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter no greater than 2.5 μm (PM2.5), and the synergistic mitigation of pollutants respectively increase from 3.1, 1.4, and 0.3 Mt during the 11th Five-Year Plan (FYP) (2006–2010) to 5.6, 3.7, and 1.9 Mt during the 12th FYP (2011–2015). Against the non-control scenario, synergistic effects alone contributed to a 15% reduction in annual mean PM2.5 concentration, resulting in the prevention of 0.29 million (95% confidential interval: 0.28–0.30) PM2.5-attributable excess deaths in 2015. Synergistic benefits to air quality improvement and public health were remarkable in the developed and population-dense eastern provinces and municipalities. With the processes of urbanization and carbon neutrality in the future, synergistic effects are expected to continue to increase. Realizing climate targets in advance in developed regions would concurrently bring strong synergistic effects to air quality and public health.

Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt plus embolization for bleeding esophagojejunal varices after total gastrectomy

A 64-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with hematemesis and melena.Six years ago,he had undergone total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y esophagojejunostomy for gastric cancer.Endoscopic examination revealed varicose veins at the anastomotic sites with cherry-red spots and hemorrhage.Abdominal computed tomography showed that the varices were supplied by a dilated jejunal vein.Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt(TIPS)and variceal embolization were performed.There were no major complications or episodes of bleeding during the three-month follow-up.We conclude that TIPS in combination with varices obliteration is an effective alternative method for treatment of ruptured esophagojejunal varices after total gastrectomy.

Underestimated benefits of NOx control in reducing SNA and O_(3)based on missing heterogeneous HONO sources

Substantial NOx emission mitigation is crucial for the synergistic reduction of particulate matter and ozone(O_(3))pollution in China.The traditional air quality model does not consider heterogeneous HONO chemistry,leading to uncertainties in estimating the benefits of NOx control.Previous studies have shown that the parameterization of heterogeneous HONO formation increases both the simulated value of sulfate–nitrate–ammonium(SNA)and that of O_(3),thus adding the heterogeneous reactions of HONO into air quality models inevitably leads to changes in the estimated benefits of NOx abatement.Here we investigated the changes in SNA and O_(3)concentrations from NOx emission reduction before and after adding heterogeneous HONO reactions in the Community Multi-Scale Air Quality(CMAQ)model.Including heterogeneous HONO reactions in the simulation improved the benefits of NOx reduction in terms of SNA control in winter.With 80%NOx reduction,the reduction in SNA increased from 36.9%without considering heterogeneous HONO reactions to 42.8%with heterogeneous HONO chemistry.The reduction in the maximum daily 8h average(MDA8)O_(3)in summer caused by NOx reduction increased slightly from 4.7%to 5.2%after adding heterogeneous HONO reactions.The results in this study highlight the enhanced effectiveness of NOx controls for the reduction of SNA and O_(3)after considering heterogeneous HONO formation in a complex chemical ambient,demonstrating the importance of NOx controls in reducing PM2.5 and O_(3)pollution in China.

Synergetic PM_(2.5) and O_(3) control strategy for the Yangtze River Delta,China

PM_(2.5)concentrations have dramatically reduced in key regions of China during the period 2013-2017,while O_(3)has increased.Hence there is an urgent demand to develop a synergetic regional PM_(2.5)and O_(3)control strategy.This study develops an emission-to-concentration response surface model and proposes a synergetic pathway for PM_(2.5)and O_(3)control in the Yangtze River Delta(YRD)based on the framework of the Air Benefit and Cost and Attainment Assessment System(ABaCAS).Results suggest that the regional emissions of NOx,SO_(2),NH3,VOCs(volatile organic compounds)and primary PM_(2.5)should be reduced by 18%,23%,14%,17%and 33%compared with 2017 to achieve 25%and 5% decreases of PM_(2.5)and O_(3)in 2025,and that the emission reduction ratios will need to be 50%,26%,28%,28% and 55%to attain the National Ambient Air Quality Standard.To effectively reduce the O_(3) pollution in the central and eastern YRD,VOCs controls need to be strengthened to reduce O_(3)by 5%,and then NOx reduction should be accelerated for air quality attainment.Meanwhile,control of primary PM_(2.5)emissions shall be prioritized to address the severe PM_(2.5)pollution in the northern YRD.For most cities in the YRD,the VOCs emission reduction ratio should be higher than that for NOx in Spring and Autumn.NOx control should be increased in summer rather than winter when a strong VOC-limited regime occurs.Besides,regarding the emission control of industrial processes,on-road vehicle and residential sources shall be prioritized and the joint control area should be enlarged to include Shandong,Jiangxi and Hubei Province for effective O_(3)control.

Air pollutant emissions induced by rural-to-urban migration during China's urbanization(2005-2015)

As the world's most populous country,China has witnessed rapid urbanization in recent decades,with population migration from rural to urban(RU)regions as the major driving force.Due to the large gap between rural and urban consumption and investment level,large-scale RU migration impacts air pollutant emissions and creates extra uncertainties for air quality improvement.Here,we integrated population migration assessment,an environmentally extended inputeoutput model and structural decomposition analysis to evaluate the NOx,SO2 and primary PM2.5 emissions induced by RU migration during China's urbanization from 2005 to 2015.The results show that RU migration increased air pollutant emissions,while the increases in NOx and SO2 emissions peaked in approximately 2010 at 2.4 Mt and 2.2 Mt,accounting for 9.2%and 8.7%of the national emissions,respectively.The primary PM2.5 emissions induced by RU migration also peaked in approximately 2012 at 0.3 Mt,accounting for 2.8%of the national emissions.The indirect emissions embodied in consumption and investment increased,while household direct emissions decreased.The widening gap between urban and rural investment and consumption exerted a major increasing effect on migration-induced emissions;in contrast,the falling emission intensity contributed the most to the decreasing effect benefitting from end-of-pipe control technology applications as well as improving energy efficiency.The peak of air pollutant emissions induced by RU migration indicates that although urbanization currently creates extra environmental pressure in China,it is possible to reconcile urbanization and air quality improvement in the future with updating urbanization and air pollution control policies.