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20 - A Comparative Study of Air Pollution Trends in Historical London and Contemporary Beijing

from Part III - Multidisciplinary Cases

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 June 2019

By
Jacqueline CK Lam ,
Yang Han ,
Shanshan Wang ,
Victor OK Li ,
Michael Pollitt  and
Paul Warde#
Edited by
Marc Ozawa ,
Jonathan Chaplin ,
Michael Pollitt ,
David Reiner  and
Paul Warde
Marc Ozawa
Affiliation:
Energy Policy Research Group, University of Cambridge
Jonathan Chaplin
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Michael Pollitt
Affiliation:
Judge Business School, Cambridge
David Reiner
Affiliation:
Judge Business School, Cambridge
Paul Warde
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
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Summary

In this chapter, the air pollution trends in historical London (1950 – 66) and contemporary Beijing (2000 – 16) are compared. In both cases, coal is the main source of air pollution, due to coal-fired electricity generation and coal-burning activities that provide heating. In London, the Clean Air Act of 1956 marked a successful milestone in the history of air pollution abatement in the UK. In Beijing, various policies have been introduced but air qualities in China have not been improved substantially. By examining the effectiveness of respective pollution control regulations/policies in a broader socioeconomic context, policy implications on respective jurisdictions are drawn. For effective implementation of air pollution control policies at the local level, it would be good for China to move beyond simply introducing stringent policies and regulations at the central or the provincial level. More resources can be re-directed to resolving the competing interests of stakeholders across different levels of jurisdictions.

Keywords

Clean Air Actenergy policyclimate policycoalpollutionUnited KingdomChina
Type
Chapter
Information
In Search of Good Energy Policy , pp. 282 - 304
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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