Recalling Blue Skies
Statistics from China National Environmental Monitoring Center indicate that the country improved its air quality drastically in 2017. The progress came after the Chinese government undertook reforms related to a new ecological damage compensation system, strengthened enforcement of environmental law and boosted the production and usage of clean energy. Moreover, a three-year plan to “make the skies blue again” is expected to be released in 2018.
“To break through bottlenecks preventing constant improvement of air quality, we must focus more on pollution prevention alongside pollution control,” declared Wang Jinnan, head of the Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning. “We should accelerate the formation of spatial patterns, industrial structure, production and lifestyles that are beneficial to atmospheric protection.”