Urban Air Quality in Chinese and South American Cities Drastically Improved by Switching to Natural Gas - New Study

A new report from the International Gas Union (IGU)highlights how the increased use of, and switch to, natural gas in power generation, heating can significantly reduce air pollution - a direct cause of around4000 deaths every day in China as recently as 2015. 

A new report from the International Gas Union (IGU)highlights how the increased use of, and switch to, natural gas in power generation, heating can significantly reduce air pollution - a direct cause of around4000 deaths every day in China as recently as 2015. 

    

Urban air pollution continues to be a major area of concern across developed and developing countries alike, with 87% of the global population currently living in areas exceeding the World Health Organisation's air quality guidelines. In fact, the WHO has suggested that air pollution continues to be "the world's single greatest environmental risk to health" - stark evidence that local, national and international governments must do more to tackle the problem and reduce the severe impact on human health.

With 1.6 million deaths in China throughout 2015 directly caused by PM_2.5 pollution - or 4,000 deaths every day - this latest IGU report focuses on three City case studies within the country, and the steps they've taken to limit the environmental, health and economic consequences of pollutants. The study also looks at one South American city, Santiago, Chile, which has also seen dramatic improvements in its air quality in the two decades since it began to switch to a largely gas-powered economy.

The new research focuses heavily on the reasons behind, and positive benefits following, a widespread shift from coal to natural gas in residential and industrial energy production. The report highlights case studies in Shanghai, Beijingand Urumqi - three cities across China where local authorities have taken significant steps in fuel switching initiatives that have led, or are leading to, real progress in improving air quality without sacrificing economic development. The final case study examines similar initiatives in Santiago, Chile - a city once known for its poor air quality - where a switch to natural gas has played a central role in air quality regulation and improvement.

"Of the 5.9 billion people where measurement is available, 4.5 billion of those are exposed to Particulate Matter (PM) concentrations that are at least twice the WHO limit, or above. This, combined with the staggering statistic that PM caused roughly 17% of deaths in China in 2015, must signal to authorities that drastic action is needed," said David Carroll, President of the IGU. "More must be done to tackle the severe impact this is having on human health withoutsacrificing economic growth -Shanghai, Beijing, Urumqi and Santiago are four prime examples of how this is achieveable, with natural gas playing a leading role."

Report highlights: 

Beijing: 

Shanghai: 

Urumqi: 

Santiago, Chile: 

Armed with the latest supporting data, the examples above, and other urban area case studies presented in previous IGU urban air quality studies, the IGU supports policies that reduce GHG emissions and emissions of health-damaging air pollutants such as: 

Supporting testimonialfrom local stakeholder: 

Dr Mauricio Osses A., - Department of Mechanical Engineering, Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria, Santiago, Chile: 

"Based on the analysis of PM filters from 1998 to 2012, it can be concluded that the introduction of mass use of natural gas replacing diesel in the industrial sector has had a positive impact on PM2.5 concentrations from industrial sources. 

Specifically, a close analysis of changes in industrial air pollutant emissions that resulted from the temporary interruption of supply from Argentina, and the consequent restoration of supply with the LNG terminal completion, demonstrate a strong positive correlation between using natural gas as fuel and cleaner air." 

To download the full report, please visit https://www.igu.org/publications-page

About The International Gas Union (IGU) 

The International Gas Union (IGU) was founded in 1931 and is a worldwide non-profit organisation aimed at promoting the political, technical and economic progress of the gas industry. The Union has more than 150 members worldwide on all continents, representing approximately 97% of the world gas market. The members of the IGU are national associations and corporations within the gas industry worldwide. The IGU organises the World Gas Conference (WGC) every three years, with the forthcoming WGC taking place in Washington, D.C., United States, in June 2018. The IGU's working organisation covers all aspects of the gas industry from exploration and production, storage, LNG, distribution and natural gas utilisation in all market segments. www.igu.org