China to spend US$56b on fighting air pollution
By Cai Wenjun |
December 6, 2012, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
China is pledging to reduce the amount of fine particles in the air by at least 5 percent by 2015 in a plan that aims to cut emissions of gas and pollutants in its most economically dynamic areas.
In the Ministry of Environmental Protection's plan, China will cut PM2.5 intensity in 117 cities. It is also committed to reducing the intensity of the larger PM10 particles by 10 percent, sulfur dioxide by 10 percent and nitrogen dioxide by 7 percent.
PM2.5 particles are airborne pollutants smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter, and can be harmful to human health.
Doctors say the tiny particles can settle in the lungs and cause respiratory problems and other illnesses.
For the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta region - which includes Shanghai - and the Pearl River Delta region, the PM2.5 intensity will be cut by at least 6 percent, the ministry said. The areas covered by the plan produce nearly half the nation's sulfur dioxide, nitric oxide, smoke and dust.
For PM2.5 issues, the plan not only sets an improvement target, but also lays equal stress on treating primary and secondary pollution. Smoke, dust and VOC (volatile organic compounds) are also included in its emissions reduction agenda.
The plan also aims to keep ozone under proper control and reduce pollution from acid rain by 2015, when a regional air pollution control management and control network will be established.
"Air pollution in China is still very tough. For PM2.5, about 70 percent of domestic cities or 80 percent of 117 cities in the major areas fail to meet the nation's new air quality requirement," said Zhao Hualin, director of the ministry's pollution prevention and control department.
The standard for PM2.5 in China is 75 micrograms per cubic meter in a 24-hour period.
"So we target PM2.5, the pollutant people care about the most and the most direct gauge reflecting the air quality as the basic point of this plan to protect people's health and protect the environment," he said.
The plan, which the ministry said would cost 350 billion yuan (US$56 billion), also requires regional governments to strengthen monitoring of air pollutants.
China began publishing data on the amount of PM2.5 pollution earlier this year in an effort to address concerns from residents that pollution readings were grossly understated.
China has cited its ongoing reliance on heavy industry as the reason it failed to meet some of its 2011 air and water pollution targets, Reuters said.
In the Ministry of Environmental Protection's plan, China will cut PM2.5 intensity in 117 cities. It is also committed to reducing the intensity of the larger PM10 particles by 10 percent, sulfur dioxide by 10 percent and nitrogen dioxide by 7 percent.
PM2.5 particles are airborne pollutants smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter, and can be harmful to human health.
Doctors say the tiny particles can settle in the lungs and cause respiratory problems and other illnesses.
For the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta region - which includes Shanghai - and the Pearl River Delta region, the PM2.5 intensity will be cut by at least 6 percent, the ministry said. The areas covered by the plan produce nearly half the nation's sulfur dioxide, nitric oxide, smoke and dust.
For PM2.5 issues, the plan not only sets an improvement target, but also lays equal stress on treating primary and secondary pollution. Smoke, dust and VOC (volatile organic compounds) are also included in its emissions reduction agenda.
The plan also aims to keep ozone under proper control and reduce pollution from acid rain by 2015, when a regional air pollution control management and control network will be established.
"Air pollution in China is still very tough. For PM2.5, about 70 percent of domestic cities or 80 percent of 117 cities in the major areas fail to meet the nation's new air quality requirement," said Zhao Hualin, director of the ministry's pollution prevention and control department.
The standard for PM2.5 in China is 75 micrograms per cubic meter in a 24-hour period.
"So we target PM2.5, the pollutant people care about the most and the most direct gauge reflecting the air quality as the basic point of this plan to protect people's health and protect the environment," he said.
The plan, which the ministry said would cost 350 billion yuan (US$56 billion), also requires regional governments to strengthen monitoring of air pollutants.
China began publishing data on the amount of PM2.5 pollution earlier this year in an effort to address concerns from residents that pollution readings were grossly understated.
China has cited its ongoing reliance on heavy industry as the reason it failed to meet some of its 2011 air and water pollution targets, Reuters said.
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