Nation’s ‘coal capital’ pledges pollution reduction

SHANGHAI: Northern China’s Shanxi province, the country’s top coal producing region, will aim to cut concentrations of hazardous airborne particles known as PM2.5 by 40% over the winter months, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

The province will also aim to cut concentrations of sulphur dioxide – a key component of smog – by 40% over the October-March period, Xinhua said, citing the province’s environmental protection bureau.

China is struggling to meet politically important 2017 air pollution targets, with the coming winter season expected to see smog worsening in some regions, particularly in the North.

The World Health Organization recommends PM2.5 concentrations of no more than 10 micrograms per cubic metre, yet China’s official air quality target is only 35 micrograms and much of the country records well above that level.

Shanxi already promised to put its local governments under pressure to meet pollution targets, saying city mayors and top party officials will be held fully accountable if air quality in the province declines this winter.

The province is one of six northern regions included in an intensive campaign to reduce smog this winter.

In a ground-breaking policy document published in 2013, China pledged to reduce PM2.5 by more than 25% in the heavily polluted region of Beijing-Hebei-Tianjin. — Reuters