As the leaders of China’s urban cities and provinces begin developing plans to meet the State Council’s “Ten Tough Measures” to improve air quality, RAP joined the Foreign Economic Cooperation Office of the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP), the Energy Foundation China, and Clean Air Alliance of China (CAAC) to share international best practices in air quality management. Over 70 people—representatives from 25 provinces and more than a dozen universities and research institutes—attended the first China Clean Air Management Training in Beijing.

With the focus on assisting cities implement the “Ten Measures,” international experts discussed establishing an air emissions inventory, air quality attainment planning, and regional coordination. The training also offered participants an opportunity to exchange ideas and begin the regional dialogues needed to meet the ten measures.

RAP principal Christopher James joined Catherine Witherspoon, John Murlis, and Marcus Amann, and several other leading air quality experts to provide technical knowledge, lessons learned from the air quality episodes in the United States and Britain, and international best practices in air quality management. Mr. James discussed the role of regional air quality organizations in achieving air quality improvements in the United States, and offered recommendations for adapting this model in China. Regional air quality organizations can facilitate information exchange, coordinate policy, assure consistent requirements and sustained implementation, and give provinces one voice to influence national policy.