Acid deposition and integrated zoning control in China

China's rapidly growing economy is coupled with the consumption of large amounts of coal. An energy mix dominated by coal and inefficient energy utilization processes have led to increasingly serious problems of acid rain and sulfur dioxide pollution. Moreover, trends in the emissions of acidifying air pollutants lead to predictions of a very serious acid deposition problem in the future. In the absence of mitigating actions, these trends foretell a future of increasingly detrimental impacts to ecosystems in China and, potentially, to ecosystems in neighboring countries. China has implemented a two control zone (TCZ) policy, resulting in the establishment of acid rain and sulfur dioxide control zones, in an attempt to implement a cost-effective approach to mitigating acid deposition problems. While some short-term successes have resulted from management actions associated with the TCZ policy, it is clear additional measures and new policy directions are needed to reverse worsening acid deposition problems in the long term. To this end the following recommendations are presented: adjusting the primary energy mix, placing a greater emphasis on abating the effects of acid deposition, concentrating pollution control on large point sources, implementing an emission permit system for coal-fired power plants, utilizing an integrated approach in designing and evaluating control measures, and developing a greater research capacity. Research strategies must be developed that will lead to: (1) an improved scientific understanding of the sources of acidifying pollutants, their associated migration patterns, and their impacts; and (2) an identification of cost-effective mitigating strategies for the entire country.