Unit-1-extensive-reading-A-Clear-Opportunity.docx

A Clear Opportunity
2017-03-09 Asia Society CriticalWriting
Air pollution continues to pose a major health threat in China. China’s recent Air Pollution Prevention and Control Lawand Atmospheric Pollution Prevention Action Plan demonstrate the government’s resolve to significantly improve air quality.,

A rapid and extensive deployment of clean air technologies and an enabling regulatory environment that encourages manufacturing innovation and technology adoption is necessary. With appropriate planning, this large-scale deployment of clean air technologies could reduce China’s greenhouse gas emissions, helping achieve the country’s longer-termclimate policy goals.

China and the United States have a longhistory of collaboration on air quality and climate policy, driven by common interests. Air pollution from China affects parts of the United States,providing an impetus for federal and state agencies in the United States towork with their counterparts in China on air quality issues. The US-China Climate Change Working Group and other bilateral initiatives reflect recognitionby both countries that their joint leadership is critical for mitigatingclimate change. Cooperation on air quality and climate change has become apillar of the US-China relationship.

The benefits of continued collaboration will grow over the next decade. As China seeks to achieve dramatic improvements in air quality, regulatory experience from the United States could play an important supporting role. In turn, regulators in the United States will have much to learn from China’s experience as it struggles with its own air quality challenges. Greater harmonization of longer-term air quality and greenhouse gasregulations between the two countries would provide an important signal forinvestments in clean technology innovation. A common, competitive market forthese technologies would be vast, resulting in lower costs.

China is entering a new phase of air quality management, transitioning from an era in which the main concern was primary pollutants (sulfur dioxide, large particulate matter) emitted directly from industrial smokestacks to one in which secondary pollutants (fineparticulate matter, ozone) resulting from a diverse combination of stationary and mobile sources are a larger concern, particularly in large urban areas.This transition occurred over several decades in the United States. In China,the speed at which it has occurred—less than 20 years—is requiring equally rapid transformations in technology and regulation.

The United States is a technology leader in a number of areas. Based on a review of emerging technologies, we identified five priority technology areas for China-US collaboration on clean air technologies:

Advanced air quality monitors   Emerging air quality monitoring technologiesare enabling a clearer picture of the timing, location, and exposure effects ofair pollution. In China, careful deployment of these technologies would enhanceunderstanding of the sources of air pollution, enable more effective airquality and emissions standards based on a deeper understanding of pollutionexposure and health impacts, and allow regulators to prioritize strategies thatreduce the most harmful sources of pollution.

Integrated designs and clean fuels for heavy-duty vehicles   Federal regulationsin the United States have spurred a new generation of heavy-duty vehicles ableto meet stringent emissions limits while improving fuel efficiency and performance;California and other US states are exploring longer-term alternative fuelsources for heavy-duty vehicles. In China, new engine and pollution controldesigns for diesel heavy-duty vehicles would enable lower emissions standardsfor new vehicles, while planning for cleaner fuels for heavy-duty vehicleswould help achieve longer-term air quality and climate goals.

Electrification of passenger vehicles and buses   China and the United State havebeen leaders in supporting the early development and deployment of electriccars, buses, and short-haul, heavy-duty vehicles that have no tailpipeemissions. When combined with renewable or nuclear electricity generation,these vehicles can have zero total emissions. New technologies for vehicles and charging infrastructure can lower the cost of transportation electrification asan air quality and climate policy strategy in China.

Low environmental impact solvents   Solvents—used in paints, lubricants, inks,adhesives, and cleaning products—are a major source of urban ozone pollution and may contribute to ozone depletion, toxic air, and climate change. Anemerging generation of solvents is able to meet multiple environmentalstandards, which will help China achieve a range of environmental goals.

Leak detection and repair for refineries,chemical plants, and pipelines   Remotesensing technologies are enabling more accurate detection and lowering costcontrol of fugitive pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from refineries,chemical plants, and pipelines. In China, advanced leak detection and repair technologieswould enable regulators to rapidly and cost efficiently achieve significantemissions reductions from these sources.
Priority areas for collaboration onenabling regulation

Regulation—from emissions standards totechnology mandates—plays a critical role in enabling the development anddeployment of clean air technologies. The United States has more than 50 yearsof experience in developing regulatory frameworks to encourage clean airtechnologies. This experience has been and could continue to be a valuablereference for regulators in China, as they plan and develop implementationprograms to meet local and national air quality goals. In turn, regulators inthe United States will be able to learn from emerging practices in China.

 As part of this study, we conducted a small survey of 18 clean technology manufacturers in the United States to gauge theirinterest and experience with the market for clean air technologies in China.The survey included interviews with manufacturers in most of the five Blue techareas.

Survey respondents identified five areas where support from governmental and nongovernmental organizations couldfacilitate smoother market entry into the Chinese market for clean airtechnologies:

Assistance in building local partnerships;
Stronger protection of intellectualproperty rights;
An enhanced regulatory framework that provides stronger enforcement, clear incentives, greater transparency, and clearer roles and responsibilities;
Greater public awareness of air pollution issues; and
Greater international harmonization of air quality and greenhouse gas standards and the technologies used to meet those standards.

Recommendations

Going forward, we recommend three kinds of activities in which continued collaboration between China and the United Statescould produce transformative results:

Joint collaboration on strategies for meeting long-term air quality and climate goals   By coordinating planning on longer-term airquality and greenhouse gas emissions goals, China and the United States canprovide manufacturers, financial institutions, and entrepreneurs with greatercertainty regarding the technologies and the potential size of markets fordifferent technologies needed to meet these goals.

Deeper collaboration on enablingregulations   Deeper collaboration onenabling regulations for clean technologies would allow more in-depth exchangeon the details of US regulatory experience to support China’s air qualitygoals. It would also build a foundation for engagement that enables regulatorsin the United States to learn from China’s experience over the next decade, asUS regulators look for solutions to longer-term air quality challenges in theUnited States.

Joint efforts to facilitate market entry,innovation, and healthy competition. Promoting open markets for clean airtechnologies in both countries would facilitate innovation and competition,lowering the costs of meeting longer-term air quality and climate goals. Byharmonizing the requirements and timing of regulations, such as emissionsstandards, the two countries would create a much larger market for clean airtechnologies.

About the author: Asia Society is the leading educational organization dedicated to promoting mutual understandingand strengthening partnerships among peoples, leaders and institutions of Asiaand the United States in a global context. Across the fields of arts, business,culture, education, and policy, the Society provides insight, generates ideas,and promotes collaboration to address present challenges and create a sharedfuture.