100 More Days of Clean Air in Chengdu Chengdu, PRC

11.4M

TONs OF CO₂ EMIssIONs REdUCEd FROM 2013 TO 2017

Inhabitants 16.58 million

GdP per capita $15,012

Geographic area 14,335 km²

ThE ChAllENGE

Chengdu's rapid industrialization and urbanization has accompanied decades of rising GHG emissions and deteriorating air quality.

CO-BENEFITs

Economic

Reductions in air pollution and GHG emissions were not matched by economic stagnation, and the city’s GDP grew by 8% each year.

health

The policies enacted under this action plan have significantly improved air quality in Chengdu, increasing the life expectancy of residents by 3.9 years.

ChenGdU, prC 100 more days of Clean air in Chengdu

The number of “good air quality” days in Chengdu has increased by 100 and life expectancy also rose by an estimated 3.9 years after 5 years of air pollution action in this megacity in the PRC.

To address emissions and poor air quality in Chengdu, the city spent over CNY1.5 billion over 5 years on a range of actions targeting high-polluting sectors.

Starting in 2013, the 5-year plan took a five-step approach: problem identification, solution research, design, implementation, and monitoring. Although the city’s population grew by 12% over the 2013–2017 period, the policies implemented led to significant reductions in air pollution and GHG emissions, including a 54% reduction in sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and 35% reduction in particulate matter (PM2.5).

Much of the improvement in Chengdu’s air quality is due to a sharp drop in the city’s reliance on coal, with a combination of hydropower, solar, wind, and natural gas being used instead. A number of policies have also been introduced to help shift toward cleaner forms of mobility, as well as control dust emissions from the expanding urban construction sector. There is also ongoing research into naturebased solutions along highways to reduce pollutants from vehicles.

Chengdu inspires climate action. Knowledge sharing was a crucial element in this project, and this plan to improve air quality has since been replicated in other cities in the region (photo by Liu Wei).