30% Beijing Air Pollution Reduction Planned

China's capital Beijing has laid out clear plans to cut its overall air pollution by 30 per cent over the next eight years.

Announcing, at the same time, a shorter-term goal of a 15 per cent reduction over the next three years, the smog-heavy capital city intends to implement several key emissions-reductions measures to achieve these goals. New forest areas will be planted, smoking factories will be moved to new locations and newer, greener cars are set to arrive on Beijing's roads.

Shifts in the winds have a marked effect on Beijing's air pollution but images of it shrouded in thick smog have become a familiar sight in recent years.

Beijing Air Pollution

Comments published online by the city's disgruntled residents highlight how state reports of the scale of Beijing's air pollution tend to underplay the real scenario but, earlier in 2012, Chinese officials started to release new, more accurate air quality data, based on PM2.5 readings.

These refer to particles measuring a maximum distance of 2.5 micrometres across and the new plans are expressed using this measurement. Therefore, Beijing's 2015 PM2.5 air pollution reduction target is 15 per cent and that for 2020 is 30 per cent.

According to comments published by the Xinhua news agency, the new forest areas will extend to 133,000 hectares in size, while all Beijing's cement production sites now face closure and 1.6 million cars are to be removed from the roads, with more eco-friendly models put in their place.

Beijing Pollution Reduction

‘By 2020, the government is expected to limit the city's annual total consumption of coal within 10 million tonnes, 62 per cent less than the amount estimated to be consumed by the end of 2015', the agency wrote in reference to the planned Beijing pollution reductions.

It added: ‘From now on, heavy-polluting and energy-consuming companies in the oil refining, petrochemical, cement, iron and steel industries will not be allowed to open new plants or expand their current workplaces.'

Beyond the later deadline, Beijing's air pollution reduction standards will be maintained, the official Chinese radio service explained, stating: "After 2020, the Beijing Environment Bureau will not rest in its efforts to continue improving air quality."

Image copyright ‘Daag' - Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

See also:

Beijing Air Pollution Improved Since Olympics