Three-year action plan released on air quality

A three-year action plan was released by the State Council on July 3, targeting the improvement in air quality.

The document aims at reducing emissions of major air pollutants and greenhouse gases, achieving a substantial reduction in the density of PM 2.5 (particulate matter with a diameter less than or equal to 2.5 micrometers), as well as the number of days registering serious pollution.

By 2020, emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide should decrease by at least 15 percent from those in 2015, while cities with poor air quality should see their PM 2.5 density drop by at least 18 percent, according to the document.

The ratio of days with good air quality should reach an average of 80 percent annually, and the percentage of heavily polluted days should decrease by 25 percentage points or more from that in 2015 in designated cities.

To achieve these goals, the State Council urged local authorities to fine-tune their industrial structures and promote green development, restructure their energy consumption and build a clean and efficient energy system.

Local regions are also urged to adjust transport systems to move ahead with green transport and improve pollution management by optimizing land use.

The plan called for measures to carry out major action plans and activities to reduce pollutants, and coordinate pollution prevention and control to cope with heavily-polluted days.

Local governments should also build infrastructure and facilities, and strengthen law enforcement and clearly assign responsibilities to each region when mobilizing the public to help protect the environment.

Efforts will be focused on areas including the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cluster and surrounding areas, the Yangtze River Delta, and plains along the Fenhe and Weihe rivers, according to the plan.