The ACFA Publication

On June 26, 2024, after three years of information gathering, exchanges with stake holders and comprehensive research work, the China Chemical Environmental Protection Association (CCEPA) and the Solid Waste and Chemicals Management Center of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (SWCMC), in cooperation with the Asian Clean Fuels Association (ACFA), completed the high-level literature assessment on the in-water environmental risks of MTBE. The review, conducted by a panel of local and international experts, encompassed situation assessments at home and abroad as well as fieldwork on typical point sources or areas in mainland China. The Priority Controlled Chemicals List (PCCL) meeting successfully completed the final report and outcome of the project.

As part of the European Commission’s 2020 Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy and the 2021 Zero-Pollution Action Plan, new road transport emission targets (Euro-7) were presented by the Commission on 10 November 2022. The Council adopted its position on 25 September 2023. The Council and the Parliament reached a provisional political agreement on 18 December 2023.

The Australian Government is introducing a New Vehicle Efficiency Standard. New Vehicle Efficiency Standards are common around the world to encourage vehicle suppliers to sell cleaner, fuel efficient cars that use less fuel, and to supply more low and zero emissions vehicles.

The COP28 summit in Dubai came to a close on 13-December 2023. The event was attended by around 85,000 participants, including more than 150 Heads of State and Government. An enormous number of representatives of national delegations, civil societies, businesses, Indigenous Peoples, youth organizations, philanthropists, and other international associations were in attendance at the 2-week long conference. 

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Air pollution is more dangerous to the health of the average person than smoking or alcohol, with the threat worsening in its global epicentre South Asia, even as China fast improves, according to a recent study conducted by the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (Epic)...

In this ‘In Focus’ newsletter we would like to draw our readers’ attention to the latest developments in Australia's efforts to address fuel efficiency standards and embrace cleaner transportation. In April 2023, the Department for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, and the Arts (DITRDCA) launched its first-ever strategy programme on fuel efficiency standards, inviting input and feedback from the public and international community.

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In this short version of our In Focus newsletter, we would like to bring our readers' attention to the latest developments surrounding the EU climate strategy and its attempt to accelerate the decarbonisation of the fuel market.  The European Union faced a setback in early March when Germany unexpectedly opposed a previously agreed plan to phase out carbon-emitting cars by 2035, leading to tensions among member states.

In this issue of In Focus, we look at the key features affecting the clean fuels industry this year. This, taking into consideration current events, such as the Russian war in Ukraine which has dragged into a second year. Then, there is the inflationary and recessionary threats over the global energy markets which was recently rekindled by the banking crisis in the USA and Europe.

China's auto industry, the 2nd most important pillar for the country's economic development after the real estate sector, has achieved exceptional growth results over the past two decades. According to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) statistical yearbook, total automobile production and vehicle sales in China have increased tenfold. The number of vehicles sold in 2001 was 2.37 million units, which more than doubled to 5.76 million by 2005 and reached 18.06 million in 2010. 24.6 million units were sold in 2015, rising to 26.27 million in 2021 as the country recovered from its 2020 COVID-19 slowdown. According to data from the traffic administration department of the Ministry of Public Security, the number of motor vehicles in China in 2021 was 395 million, of which 300 million were cars.