An Economic Analysis On Control Of Air Pollution In Lanzhou City

Since the 1950s, environmental issues have become increasingly prominent in the accelerating pace of global economic development. Environmental economics generated and formed a number of basic theories and research methods. Among them, analysis on environmental and economic of spatial dimensions have been taken seriously in recent years, and in this area, it is found that there are many issues needed to study, especially in focusing on cities. Although cities provide favorable material and civilized life for residents, relying on their modern industrial, construction, transport, transportation, communication, cultural and recreational facilities and other service industries, their environment is not optimistic because of population density, traffic congestion, and factory standing in great numbers.Lanzhou is the capital of Gansu Province, lied in the border area of Loess Plateau, Inner Mongolian Plateau and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is also a long, narrow strip of north-south valley basin city, located in dumbbell-shaped Yellow River basin. The Yellow River runs through the city 38 km from west to east, and is held by two mountains in north and south. The elevation in the center of the city is about 1520m, and the relative height of the two mountains is 300-600m.This city is difficult to clean and transport exhaust emissions through the valley shape because of its low velocity of wind and frequently inversion all over the year, which is 81% a year,96% in winter. In view of these special natural conditions, high pollution, energy-intensive industrial structure and irrational urban construction, Lanzhou City has serious air pollution in winter during its rapid industrialization and urbanization process.This dissertation introduces the research background and significance, as well as its status, and then sorts out the economic efficiency theory, the mass balance theory, externality theory, the value and benefits of environmental damage assessment, policies and practices of environmental economic and other related theories. In order to clear that problem-solving is of great urgency, the paper also analyzes the causes and the harm of urban air pollution in Lanzhou City. After that, economic losses and the value of environmental resources have been estimated by making use of the comprehensive assessment and comparative analysis among contingent valuation method, dose-effect method, productivity change method, cost of illness method, and human capital approach. Illustrated with sulfur dioxide, paper combined precondition of capacity with sources with the characteristics and manage ideas on pollution control implementation steps. Lanzhou City is affected not only directly by the impact of emissions by sources, but also by the natural environment, energy mix, industrial structure and layout, traffic conditions, and many other factors. On the basis of these complex conditions, the paper is aimed at the solutions by integrated use of administrative, legal, economic, technological and other kinds of means to complementary prevention and control on air pollution, as well as on continued improvement environmental conditions.According to domestic and foreign research, this dissertation combined environmental economics research methods with specific practical problems, and explored the economic solutions to pollution in environmental economics theoretical framework and practical experience in Lanzhou City. This dissertation will be for reference in providing scientific basis for regional development policies and environmental management decisions in Lanzhou municipal government departments so that it not only does good to promoting efficient allocation of resources, reducing environmental governance control costs, improving the urban air environment and the health of residents, but also is beneficial to advancing Lanzhou City in realization of social, economic, resource and environmental development, even the establishment of ecological environment-friendly society.Currently, our establishment in environmental and economic system is still on the road, emissions trading is in the test moment. The objective reality gap between natural environment and economic development is in urgent demand on regional environmental policy. It turned out that the advantage of this paper on exploring the applicability of air pollution control systems can be widely extended to other west valley cities, by enriching the study of regional economic, determining the reduction of environmental pollution index for GDP, and even providing a theoretical reference during environmental and economic accounting time.