The chart shows how air pollution in China can be reduced far more economically by carefully selecting the most cost-effective portfolio of measures. The first column shows the costs of a conventional across-the-board approach to reducing air pollutants in 2030. The resulting cleaner air will reduce losses in statistical life expectancy from air pollution by 43%. It will also reduce crop losses by around 50%. The second column shows how China could achieve these same benefits at a far lower cost by using GAINS to carefully identify the most effective and efficient portfolio of emission control measures.

Advanced emission control technologies are available to maintain acceptable levels of air quality despite the pressure from growing economic activities.

There are two broad methods to cut air pollution; either reducing the levels of activities that emit the pollutants; or not changing production and consumption levels but controlling the waste they produce. The latter method is known as end-of-pipe emission control technology and by fully applying existing technical measures Asia can avoid serious deteriorations in air quality. However, such an undifferentiated across-the-board approach would impose significant burdens on the economy.

An optimized emission control strategy, which selectively allocates specific reduction measures across economic sectors, pollutants and regions, could achieve equal air quality improvements at only 20% of the costs of a conventional across-the-board approach. The GAINS optimization tool allows a systematic search for those measures that ensure total emission control costs are minimized. For Asia, an integral element of such an air pollution control strategy will be measures to eliminate indoor pollution from the combustion of solid fuels.

The GAINS model allows policymakers in China and India to analyse and design their own air pollution control strategy. The benefits of such a strategy are illustrated in the following example. Air pollution lowers statistical life expectancy in China, these health impacts could be reduced by 43% by 2030 by using available technology to improve ambient air quality. This can be achieved at an additional expense of 0.63% of GDP with a conventional across-the-board approach to reducing air pollutants or at only an additional cost of 0.13% of GDP using the targeted approach of GAINS (see figure). The investment will also reduce crop losses by around 50% and have far ranging positive impacts on the environment.

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