Restoring Blue Skies: Key Insights from 2014 Air Quality Workshop

The document presents a framework for achieving clean air in China, emphasizing the need for a robust air quality management system, the application of Best Available Control Technologies (BACT), and the alignment of fiscal policies with pollution goals. It advocates for the removal of fossil fuel subsidies, the implementation of a coal cap to reduce coal's share of the energy structure to less than 50% by 2030, and the adoption of Euro 6 fuel standards by 2018 for heavy-duty trucks and off-road vehicles. The experts highlight that integrating air pollutant and greenhouse gas reductions is more cost-effective than treating them separately.

• Experts proposed ten guiding principles for successful air quality programs, including the establishment of unambiguous clean air authorities for regions like Jing-Jin-Ji, the use of state-of-the-art scientific analysis, and the adoption of Best Available Control Technologies (BACT) to accelerate clean-up and technology development.
• To align fiscal policy with air quality goals, the document recommends removing fossil fuel subsidies, increasing coal resource tax rates, and raising emissions fees by at least 5 times, noting that Beijing and Tianjin recently increased fees by 11 and 7 times respectively.
• The document argues for a coal cap to shift China's energy structure, suggesting coal could account for less than 50% of the energy structure by 2030 and that renewable energy could supply 80% of electricity by 2050.
• Specific sectoral recommendations include skipping Euro 5 fuel standards to implement Euro 6 for heavy-duty trucks and off-road vehicles by 2018, and implementing an auction system for private car license plates in mega-cities to fund public transport.
• The briefing emphasizes that integrating policies to reduce both air pollutants and greenhouse gases (GHGs) is more effective and cheaper than pursuing separate solutions for climate change and air pollution.

APA

Energy Innovation (2015). Restoring Blue Skies: Key Insights from 2014 Air Quality Workshop. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Air-Quality-Workshop-Key-Insight-Document-2015-April-Final-EN.pdf

Chicago

Energy Innovation. Restoring Blue Skies: Key Insights from 2014 Air Quality Workshop. 2015. https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Air-Quality-Workshop-Key-Insight-Document-2015-April-Final-EN.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Energy Innovation |title=Restoring Blue Skies: Key Insights from 2014 Air Quality Workshop |date=April 2015 |url=https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Air-Quality-Workshop-Key-Insight-Document-2015-April-Final-EN.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{energyinnovation2015restoring, author = {{Energy Innovation}}, title = {{Restoring Blue Skies: Key Insights from 2014 Air Quality Workshop}}, institution = {Energy Innovation}, year = {2015}, month = apr, url = {https://energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/Air-Quality-Workshop-Key-Insight-Document-2015-April-Final-EN.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }