Beijing responsible for most of its air pollution, and thus for curbing it

BEIJING SAID ON MONDAY that about two-thirds of the airborne particles smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter that can penetrate people’s lungs and harm their health were produced by the city itself last year, among which vehicles and the dust from construction sites and roads were the main contributors. Beijing Youth Daily comments:

It is good that the capital city has identified the main sources of its PM2.5 air pollutants as it means that its measures can be more precisely targeted. Beijing reduced the annual average concentration of PM2.5 to 58 microgram per cubic meter in the air last year, fulfilling the objective it set in 2013, when the figure was 89.5 microgram per cubic meter.

It is noteworthy that vehicles contributed 45 percent of the PM2.5 in Beijing last year, 1.4 times higher than the year before. The authorities should pay more attention to checking the growing number of vehicles on the capital’s roads. In particular, they should control the use of diesel-guzzling heavy duty trucks, and require construction companies to take measures to curb the amount of dust produced by their construction work.

And since Beijing has the most developed public transport system in China, the authorities can also pay more attention to raising the public’s awareness that public transport is a less polluting means of transport than private cars. People should know that they too are obliged to play their part in the fight against air pollution, and they should not enjoy the efforts of others while making none themselves.

The authorities should also strengthen their cooperation with the science and research institutes to obtain more accurate data on PM2.5 sources so they can introduce more targeted measures to curb air pollution.