Hangzhou to host global green platform

China's success in tackling air pollution at home can help spur greater action worldwide via UN event, say organizers

China will host the 2019 World Environment Day on June 5 in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, with air pollution as the theme, officials said on Friday.

The country will be a "great global host" as it has "demonstrated tremendous leadership in tackling air pollution domestically. It can now help spur the world to greater action", said Joyce Msuya, the acting director of the United Nations Environment Programme. Msuya announced the move jointly with Zhao Yingmin, the head of the Chinese delegation at the fourth UN Environment Assembly international environmental platform.

Air pollution is a global emergency affecting everyone and China will now be leading the push and stimulating global action to save millions of lives, Msuya said.

About 7 million people worldwide die prematurely each year from air pollution, with about 4 million of these deaths occurring in the Asia-Pacific, according to the UN.

This year's World Environment Day is expected to urge governments, industry, communities and individuals to come together to explore renewable energy and green technologies, and improve air quality in cities and regions across the globe, said organizers.

With its growing green energy sector, China has emerged as a climate leader, according to the UN, with the country owning half of the world's electric vehicles and 99 percent of the world's electric buses. By hosting the global event, the Chinese government will be able to showcase its innovation and progress toward a cleaner environment, it said.

According to a new UN report, A Review of 20 Years' Air Pollution Control in Beijing, air pollution in the Chinese capital was dominated by coal combustion and motor vehicles in 1998, with major pollutant levels exceeding national limits.

In 2013, Beijing adopted more systematic and intensive measures to deal with the environmental challenge. By the end of 2017, the capital reported a 35 percent fall in PM2.5 fine particulate pollutants and the surrounding Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region recorded a 25 percent drop in the particles. Much of the reduction was attributed to measures aimed at controlling coal-fired boilers, the provision of cleaner domestic fuels and industrial restructuring. Over the same period, annual emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, PM10 particulate matter and volatile organic compounds in Beijing also decreased significantly.

Speaking at the launch of the report earlier this month at the UN offices in Nairobi, Kenya, Dechen Tsering, director of the UN environmental authority's Asia-Pacific regional office, said Beijing has certainly achieved impressive air quality improvements in a short time.

"Beijing offers a good example of how a large city in a developing country can balance environmental protection and economic growth," Tsering said.