Co-benefits of CO₂ emission reduction from China's clean air actions between 2013-2020

This paper evaluates the impact of China's stringent clean air actions (2013–2020) on energy use and CO₂ emissions. The phase-out and upgrades of polluting combustion facilities led to energy system transformation, resulting in a net reduction of 2.43 Gt CO₂—exceeding the accumulated CO₂ emission increase (2.03 Gt CO₂) during the same period. The study highlights the significant climate benefits of China's air pollution control efforts and suggests prioritizing measures with substantial CO₂ reduction co-benefits in future policy design.

Qinren Shi, Bo Zheng, Yixuan Zheng, Dan Tong, Yang Liu, Hanchen Ma, Chaopeng Hong, Guannan Geng, Dabo Guan, Kebin He, Qiang Zhang