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Spatial concentration, impact factors and prevention-control measures of PM2.5 pollution in China

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Abstract

To improve the air pollution of China fundamentally, effective measures should be proposed based on the thorough understanding of the characteristics of air pollution. Based on spatial econometrics, this paper investigates the characteristics and analyzes the determinants of the spatial concentration of PM2.5 pollution in China. Results show that: (1) PM2.5 pollution is highly concentrated in Central and Eastern China, covering 17 regions which accounts for 75% of the total population and GDP (gross domestic product). (2) The PM2.5 values in China show a significant spatial correlation. Provinces such as Shandong, Henan, Anhui, and Hubei are high in PM2.5 concentration. Meanwhile, these provinces are high in population density, GDP, and coal consumptions and have a large amount of civilian cars. (3) PM2.5 pollution shows spatial spillover effects. A 1% increase in the PM2.5 values of neighboring provinces will lead to a 0.78% increase in that of one province. (4) An upward U-shaped relationship is observed between the density of per capita GDP and PM2.5, and the PM2.5 value is far from the turning point of growth. With the further growth of the density of per capita GDP, the PM2.5 value is expected to increase rapidly and continuously. (5) Based on the characteristics of spatial concentration and spatial spillover, this paper proposes several prevention-control measures for haze pollution, such as stressing on the treatment of air pollution in severely polluted provinces, avoiding moving pollution industries to neighboring areas, performing joint prevention and control nationwide. Air pollution may only be rooted by transforming the pattern of economic growth.

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Notes

  1. The values in the brackets are the standard deviations of population-weighted PM2.5 values of provinces from 2001 to 2010.

  2. Though PM2.5 concentrations in 350 prefecture-level cities can be obtained, the social and economic data of these 350 cities are not available. Thus, the data of prefecture-level cities are not adopted in this paper.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by The Natural Science Foundation of China (71373131, 41501555, 91546117), National Social and Scientific Fund Program (11CGL100), National Soft Scientific Fund Program (15BTJ019), National Industry-specific Topics (GYHY 201506051), and The Ministry of Education Scientific Research Foundation for the returned overseas students (No. 2013-693, Ji Guo). This research was also supported by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions and the Flagship Major Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters (CIC-FEMD)/Key Laboratory of Meteorological Disaster, Ministry of Education (KLME)/Joint International Research Laboratory of Climate and Environment Change (ILCEC)/School of Econmics and Management, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, 210044, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China

    Xianhua Wu & Ji Guo

  2. School of Economics and Management, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, 210044, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China

    Yufeng Chen

  3. School of Computer and Software, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, 210044, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China

    Guizhi Wang

  4. EMLYON Business School, 23 Avenue Guy de Collongue, 69130, Ecully, France

    Yeming Gong

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  1. Xianhua Wu
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  2. Yufeng Chen
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  3. Ji Guo
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  4. Guizhi Wang
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Correspondence to Xianhua Wu.

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Wu, X., Chen, Y., Guo, J. et al. Spatial concentration, impact factors and prevention-control measures of PM2.5 pollution in China. Nat Hazards 86, 393–410 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-016-2697-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-016-2697-y

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