With the economic development of China, the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere, especially from the combustion of fossil fuels, leads to the deterioration of air quality and seriously threatens the health of the people. Air pollution in China has typical characteristics of complex pollution. Different stages and types of air pollution in developed countries are concentrated in China, resulting in increased air oxidizing capacity and frequent haze events. This is a new situation that developed countries have not experienced. There is no ready-made experience for reference in the prevention and control of air pollution in China. Therefore, there is an urgent need to carry out research on the causes and control of haze.

    After more than two years of deliberation, the Chinese Academy of Sciences launched the Strategic Priority Research Program “Formation mechanism and control strategies of haze” in 2012. This project is led by the Research Center of Eco-Environmental Sciences (RCEES-CAS), with Professor He Hong as the chief scientist. There were 33 institutions participating in the program, bringing together outstanding domestic teams in the fields of atmospheric physics, atmospheric chemistry, environmental optics, air pollution control and environmental policy. Five projects were set up, and the research work included laboratory simulation of haze formation mechanisms, field observation and source apportionment, numerical simulation and collaborative control schemes, development of haze monitoring equipment and key technology, and leading-edge technology for key pollutant control. This program has strongly promoted important follow-on research programs, including the joint major research plan of NSFC ” Formation mechanism, Health Effects and Coping Strategy of Complex Air Pollution in China” (2015), the National Key R&D Program of MOST “Air Pollution Prevention and Control” (2016), and the National Research Program for Key Issues in Air Pollution Control (2017).

    Through a series of reform measures, such as refining and looking forward to scientific and technological objectives, dynamically adjusting research layout and optimizing resource allocation, focusing on the major strategic needs of the country and closely combining with the international scientific frontier, this program has brought together a group of excellent scientific researchers, and significantly improved collaborative innovation. An excellent atmospheric haze research team with a full range of disciplines and reasonable structure has been gathering, and a group of academic leaders and outstanding young scientific and technological talents are being cultivated. These members of the research team played a key role in the subsequent establishment and implementation of major air pollution prevention and control projects in China.

    This program has developed a number of key technologies with independent intellectual property, achieved original research breakthroughs with important international influence, and put forward the conceptual model and theoretical framework of the third type of haze, chemical smog, which is different from London smog and Los Angeles photochemical smog. These achievements play a leading role in the development of the atmospheric environment discipline, and provide scientific and feasible haze control technologies and solutions. The overall research level is at an advanced rank internationally. The construction of atmospheric environment for monitoring, source inventory and prediction and warning technology systems provides an important foundation platform for future atmospheric science research in China. Remarkable achievements have been made in the promotion and application of pollution control technology, which are promoting the development of haze prevention and control work in China. 11 of the special consultation reports submitted to the CPC Central Committee and the State Council were adopted.