Chinese Provincial Air Pollutant Concentration Prediction over the Long Term

Abstract

Although China’s urban air quality has improved, there are still many cities that do not meet China’s ambient air quality standards and experience serious air pollution problems, causing tremendous damage to people’s health and sustainable social development. For the sake of obtaining the specific time when China’s ambient air quality will reach the standard, the annual mean air pollutant concentrations of 27 Chinese provinces are predicted and analyzed. Based on original data from air pollutant concentrations in 27 Chinese provinces from 2017 to 2021, a gray prediction model with fractional order accumulation is established to analyze and predict the concentration of pollutants in 27 provinces. The applicability of the model is then validated by mean absolute percentage error values. According to the forecast results, by 2026, the concentrations of six pollutants, PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, CO, and O3, will all meet Class II air quality standards in 25 Chinese provinces, namely Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Hebei, Jiangsu, Shanxi, Zhejiang, Liaoning, Anhui, Jilin, Fujian, Heilongjiang, Jiangxi, Hubei, Qinghai, Hunan, Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Guizhou, Shaanxi, Gansu, Yunnan, Inner Mongolia, and Xinjiang (corrected for the effect of sandstorms). Tianjin, Sichuan, and Xinjiang (not corrected for the effect of sandstorms) still exceed the standard in the annual mean concentration of PM2.5, NO2, and PM10, respectively. Sichuan and Tianjin are, respectively, expected to meet Class II air quality standards in 2027 and 2030, and Xinjiang (not corrected for the effect of sandstorms) is expected to fail to meet Class II standards in the next 15 years. Finally, the current situation with respect to China’s ambient air quality in 27 Chinese provinces is analyzed, and corresponding suggestions are put forward to offer an explicit direction for relevant departments.