Severe air pollution 鈥榯op priority鈥 to be addressed in north China
Print Edition
CHINA still faces an urgent and formidable task in combating air pollution, which is a persistent “affliction to people’s hearts and lungs,” an official said yesterday.
Recent bouts of severe air pollution in Beijing are reminders of the grim situation concerning environmental protection, Zhao Yingmin, vice minister of environmental protection, said at a press conference.
The national observatory continued yesterday to issue warnings for moderate to heavy smog in northern and central China, with some areas in Beijing, Hebei, Henan and Shaanxi issuing orange alerts, the second highest in a four-tier warning system.
The top priority of air pollution control should be addressing severe air pollution, especially pollution in north China this winter, Zhao said. “China should strive to resolve the affliction to people’s hearts and lungs in the shortest time possible,” he added.
The fundamental reason for frequent heavy smog is excessive pollutant emissions, although smog-trapping weather conditions also played a part, Zhao said. “Without help from nature, people should make more efforts to fight pollution.”
The country would push to revamp industrial and energy structures in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and surrounding areas, home to about half of China’s coal consumption and steel production capacity, Zhao said.
China would also reduce pollutant emissions by acting on highly polluting companies, promoting clean use of coal, and cracking down on vehicles with excessive emissions. Zhao added that China would also improve the accuracy of air quality forecasts, reinforce government supervision and enhance regional coordination in extreme weather conditions.
Encouraging figures have been released by the ministry. In 338 large Chinese cities, 81.4 percent of days in the first 10 months had good air quality, slightly higher than last year.
A national guideline on environmental improvements for 2016-2020 was approved at a State Council executive meeting presided over by Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday, specifying targets for reducing air, water and land pollution, as well as producing a sounder ecological system.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
