Communist Party declares ‘war’ against air pollution
PINGSHAN COUNTY, China — Huge chunks of concrete and broken machinery are all that is left of a cement plant that once spewed clouds of pollution over China’s most polluted province, Hebei. Demolished in December, the factory was one of 35 closed or torn down in Pingshan county as part of the government’s drive to clear up China’s notoriously smoggy skies.
Combatting pollution has shot up the agenda of the ruling Communist Party, which for years pushed for rapid economic development with little concern about the environmental impact. Under public pressure to reduce the air pollution that blankets Beijing and cities across China, the country’s leaders are rebalancing their priorities.
Premier Li Keqiang said Wednesday the government would “declare war” on pollution in the same way China had fought poverty. But shutting plants has taken a human and economic toll in lost jobs and income. The demolition or closure of the 35 plants in Hebei’s Pingshan county, about a four-hour drive southwest of Beijing, resulted in layoffs of 3,780 workers, according to state media reports.
“I do want the government to do something to improve the air quality. If the air gets better, it is good for everyone,” said Guo Quanquan, 52, one of those laid off. “But my life has gotten worse after the closure.”
He hasn’t been able to find another job and now lives off the earnings of his two 20-something sons.
For years, the central government has issued various environmental targets and pushed for industries to reduce excess capacity that had built up during China’s years of booming growth, but they were resisted by local officials whose performances were judged more on their region’s economic growth than the cleanliness of their skies.
Pressure has increased on local governments since September, when China’s Cabinet released an action plan to control and prevent air pollution through 2017. Since then, more than half the country’s provinces have released their own plans, including new restrictions on coal and heavy industry. “We may suffer slow economic growth in the short term, but this will work in upgrading the economic structure and result in a good living environment for our people, so it is worthwhile,” the China Daily newspaper quoted Sun Ruibin, Shijiazhuang’s Communist Party chief, as saying.