Urban Air Pollution in China

A symposium on urban air pollution and energy was held in Beijing in October 2003 to discuss what the future might bring for China's growing cities as a result of the large expected increase in personal vehicles.

Air pollution and its health effects have been a serious issues in China for decades since the country is the world's largest producer and consumer of coal. Inexpensive coal has provided much of the fuel for China's economic progress but at a high cost.

Policymakers must now come to grips with this issue as Beijing prepares for the Olympics as well as slowly becoming a world class city. Other cities in China are following this lead but the low cost of coal and high cost of alternatives, namely natural gas, is driving the energy choices. Into this mix now comes the automobile and an ailing public transport sector.

The NAE is dedicated to continue working with its counterpart in China and assist them in any way based on what has been learned in the US. The proceedings of this symposium are now available.

Urbanization Energy and Air Pollution in China