Ministry steps up air pollution curbs
The country is to strengthen its efforts to reduce pollutant emissions in response to complaints from the public about a lack of improvement in air quality, the national environmental watchdog said on Friday.
Reductions in emissions of four major pollutants - ammonia nitrogen, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and chemical oxygen demand - last year are thought to have met the annual targets, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said.
Emissions of all four fell by at least 2 percent year-on-year, with nitrogen oxides falling the most, by 6 percent, the best performance in the past five years.
However, considering the huge level of total emissions, which exceed 20 million metric tons each year, the current reductions cannot meet the public's demands for better air quality, said Zhai Qing, the vice-minister.
"We should slash total emissions by 30 to 50 percent to give the people the clear air they want," Zhai said, adding that the statistics were based on research by many environmental experts.
Beijing residents enjoyed unusually clear skies during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings in November as a wide range of measures were taken to reduce pollution during the event.
Fang Li, deputy head of the municipal environmental protection bureau, said the exceptional air quality was the result of reductions in emissions of the four major pollutants of more than 50 percent.
More than 9,000 companies involved in industries that produce pollution in Beijing and the surrounding areas suspended their operations during the APEC gathering. Zhai said, "We will continue to take strict measures to cap emission levels as a priority as we seek to curb air pollution."
He said the ministry plans to introduce more policies and improve management systems to curb emissions.
Cities should not blame air pollution within their boundaries on industrial activities in neighboring areas, and should do more to tackle the problem through their own efforts, he added.
zhengjinran@chinadaily.com.cn
