August 22, 2022
Seven government departments, including the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and the National Energy Administration, jointly issued the Implementation Plan for Synergies in Pollution and Carbon Reduction. The plan adheres to the working principles of highlighting synergies, strengthening source prevention and control, optimizing technological pathways, focusing on mechanism innovation, and encouraging pilot trials. It puts forward important tasks and measures in six main aspects, including strengthening source prevention and control, highlighting key areas, and optimizing environmental governance.
To strengthen the prevention and control of the source, the plan specifies that we will strengthen the management of access to the ecological environment, and prohibit new production capacity of steel, coking, oil refining, electrolytic aluminum, cement, and flat glass (excluding photovoltaic glass) in key areas for air pollution prevention and control. We will promote green and low-carbon energy transformation. As a whole can
We will promote source security and green and low-carbon development, and promote a clean and low-carbon energy supply system and electrification of terminal energy consumption. We will take action to replace renewable energy and increase the proportion of non-fossil energy consumption. Coal power projects will be strictly controlled, and coal consumption will be strictly and rationally controlled for a long time during the 14th Five-Year Plan period and gradually reduced during the 15th Five-Year Plan period. We will focus on reducing bulk coal and other non-electric coal, and prohibit the construction of new (expanded) coal-fired power plants outside the areas permitted by national policies. We will continue to promote clean winter heating in northern China. The newly renovated and expanded industrial furnaces will use clean and low-carbon energy, optimize the way natural gas is used, give priority to ensuring residential gas consumption, and orderly promote the replacement of industrial coal and agricultural coal and natural gas. In terms of highlighting key areas, the plan is clear, and we will promote synergies in the industrial sector. In accordance with the law, we will carry out mandatory cleaner production audits for enterprises with "double super and double high energy consumption", carry out cleaner production transformation in key industries, and promote a number of key enterprises to reach the leading international level. To study and establish a long-term mechanism for overcapacity reduction in steel and coking industries under the constraints of atmospheric environmental capacity, and gradually reduce the number of independent sintering and hot rolling enterprises. The cement industry will accelerate the replacement of raw fuel, the petrochemical industry will accelerate the promotion of oil reduction and chemical improvement, the aluminum industry will increase the proportion of recycled aluminum, promote efficient and low-carbon technology, and accelerate the development of recycled non-ferrous metal industry. By 2025, the output of recycled aluminum will reach 11.5 million tons, and the proportion of electrolytic aluminum using renewable energy will increase to over 30 percent by 2030. We will promote the deep coupling of energy and resources from smelting by-products with the building materials, petrochemical, and chemical industries. Enterprises in key industries will be encouraged to explore the adoption of collaborative technologies for controlling multiple pollutants and greenhouse gases, and carry out collaborative innovation. Promote the industrial application of carbon capture, utilization and storage technology. In terms of optimizing environmental governance, the plan said that coordinated control of solid waste pollution prevention and control should be promoted. We will strengthen the recovery and comprehensive utilization of resources and strengthen the construction of "waste-free cities".
We will promote the use of industrial solid waste resources, such as coal gangue, fly ash, tailings and smelting slag, or replace raw materials for building materials production. By 2025, we will increase the comprehensive utilization rate of bulk solid waste by 60% and reduce the stock of bulk solid waste in an orderly manner. A person in charge of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said that at present, China's ecological civilization construction is faced with two strategic tasks, namely, fundamental improvement of the ecological environment and carbon peaking and carbon neutralization. Coordinated promotion of pollution reduction and carbon reduction has become an inevitable choice for the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development in the new stage of development. The plan jointly issued by the seven departments is an important part of the "1+N" policy system of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, which is of great significance to further optimize ecological environment governance, form a coordinated work pattern of pollution reduction and carbon reduction, help build a beautiful China and achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality.
