Beijing hits pollution reduction targets

Beijing has reached its emission reduction goals for the first half of the year and levels of major pollutants are continuing to decline, the municipal environmental protection authority said on Monday.

Levels of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and ammonia nitrogen and the chemical oxygen demand score — a measure of the amount of organic compounds in water — fell by the largest amount.

The nitrogen oxide reading declined by 7.59 percent year-on-year, according to the report by the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau.

The reductions followed a number of government initiatives, including the shutting down of cement factories in suburbs.

Coal consumption fell by 7 percent in the half-year and sulfur dioxide emissions declined by 1,600 metric tons, the report said.

More than 176,000 old vehicles were removed from the capital's roads in the six-month period, and strict regulations on granting license plates restricted the increase in new cars. These measures contributed to the reduction in the level of nitrogen oxide.

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