An evaluation of air quality, home heating and well-being under Beijing’s programme to eliminate household coal use

Christopher Barrington-Leigh, Jill Baumgartner, Ellison Carter, Brian E. Robinson, Shu Tao and Yuanxun Zhang
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Jill Baumgartner: McGill University
Ellison Carter: Colorado State University
Brian E. Robinson: McGill University
Shu Tao: Peking University
Yuanxun Zhang: University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Nature Energy, 2019, vol. 4, issue 5, 416-423

Abstract: Abstract To mitigate health and environmental effects from coal-based home heating, the Beijing Municipality has implemented a programme in 3,700 villages that subsidizes electric heat pumps and electricity, and bans coal. Here, we estimate this programme’s impact on household energy use and expenditure, well-being and indoor environmental quality by comparing treated and untreated villages in three districts that vary in socioeconomic conditions. We find that, under this programme, households in high- and middle-income districts eliminated coal use with benefits to indoor temperature, indoor air pollution and life satisfaction. In a low-income district, the policy had partial effectiveness: coal use was contingent on household wealth, and there were fewer benefits to the indoor environment and negative impacts on well-being. These results suggest that a rapid household energy transition can be effective, but it is essential to appropriately control subsidies and fine-tune supports to limit transitional hardships for the less affluent.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41560-019-0386-2

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