War on pollution reaching stalemate, warns ministry

BEijiNG: China’s war on pollution is at risk of reaching a “stalemate”, with poor weather conditions undermining the country’s efforts to reduce smog, an environment ministry spokesman said.

Air pollution rose by more than a quarter in parts of northern China in March, and the region has been hit by another bout of smog in the second half of April, which the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) has blamed on weak air circulation.

“Weather conditions last month in Beijing were the worst over the past six years with slow wind, little rain and high temperatures, but average pollution readings were able to stay at same level as the past five years,” MEE spokesman Liu Youbin said at a regular press briefing.

“The air pollution campaign has entered a stage of stalemate.”

China met its 2013-2017 air quality targets after forcing major polluters like steel mills and coal-fired power generators to raise standards and upgrade their technology, and it also shut down thousands of smaller law-breaking enterprises.

“The easy actions have been done but now there is more that needs to be done,” said Chen Songxi, an expert in environmental statistics at Peking University.

“Motor vehicles in cities have to be curbed – so far, there has been little action in that regard, because it will be very unpopular with drivers,” he added. — Reuters