|
The city government has restricted coal use,
shut down factories and introduced new fuel standards for cars
and trucks in a bid to limit a surge in air pollution that at
times has left the Chinese capital shrouded in smog.
Data released Sunday showed the city is making slow progress in
combating pollution, which reports say ends hundreds of
thousands of lives in China prematurely every year.
Average concentration of particulate matter smaller than 2.5
micrometers, known as PM2.5, fell 4 percent from 2013 to 85.9
micrograms per cubic meter, the EPA said. The national standard
is 35, although the government does not expect to meet the
standard until around 2030.
Sulfur dioxide (SO2) levels fell 17.7 percent, nitrogen dioxide
(NOx) 1.3 percent and PM10 7.1 percent, the EPA said, while dust
levels rose.
As a result, Beijing's 20 million denizens enjoyed 93 days with
"excellent air quality" in 2014, up from 71 days in 2013, the
EPA said.
The city plans to cut PM2.5 levels a further 5 percent this
year, and reduce SO2 and NOx emissions by 6 percent.
It aims to get coal consumption levels down to 15 million tonnes
this year from 19 million in 2014. It will get 200,000 old,
highly polluting vehicles off the road and shut down some 300
factories, the EPA said.
By 2017, Beijing hopes to get PM2.5 levels down to 60, after
cutting coal consumption to less than 10 million tonnes
annually. In August, the municipal government said it would
phase out coal use completely by 2020.
(Reporting by Stian Reklev; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
