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During the weeklong National Day holi- day that lasted October 1-7， He Yang， a fourth grader from southwest China’s Sichuan Province， traveled to Beijing hoping to see the city at its most beautiful. Unfortunately， the lingering smog left him disappointed.
“My parents canceled some of our plans， including a trip to the Great Wall，” He complained.
According to Beijing’s meteorological authorities， with the exception of favorable weather on October 2 and 3， the holiday saw the city shrouded in the heaviest smog in months.
Another report from the China Meteorological Administration showed that Beijing had 14 days of heavy smog from September 1 to 28， 10 more than the average over the last 20 years for the same period.
“I’m looking forward to my next visit and hope it will be better then，” He said before leaving Beijing.
For He and others， the action plan against air pollution released on September 12 by the State Council， China’s cabinet， can bring some reassurance.
According to the Airborne Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan （2013-17），“In five years， air quality in China will see a significant improvement， with heavily polluted days to be drastically reduced.”
The document stipulates that by 2017， the density of airborne particles， especially PM2.5—those less than 2.5 microns in diameter—are to be reduced by 25 percent compared to the levels recorded in Beijing and surrounding areas in 2012.
In the action plan， the Chinese Government vows to use a multifaceted approach to tackle air pollution with cutting coal use， shutting down heavy polluters and promoting cleaner production at the forefront.
Experts say that this plan is a landmark achievement in the government’s fight to control air pollution.
“The plan shows that the government is focusing on improving air quality and paying more attention to the need to control the sources of pollutants，” said Wang Jinnan， Vice President of the Chinese Academy for Environmental Planning.
Chai Fahe， Vice President of the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences， affiliated with the Ministry of Environmental Protection （MEP）， said that in order to carry out the plan effectively， government departments and research institutes should create a formal national-level inventory of atmospheric pollutant emissions and an effective supervision system.
Sights set high
The action plan details 35 measures across 10 areas for addressing pollution， including plans for cutting vehicle emissions and coal consumption， transforming industrial structure and evaluating emissions reduction. “These 35 measures are directed at sources of PM2.5， the main contributor to heavy smog in cities. If they can be implemented， China can realize other goals such as reducing coal consumption and improving air quality，” said Wang Jian， Deputy Director of the MEP’s Department of Pollution Prevention and Control.
In December last year， the Chinese Government unveiled an air pollution reduction plan aimed at cutting the level of airborne particulate matter by at least 5 percent across 13 key areas covering 117 cities by 2015.
“The thick smog and haze have pressured policymakers to consider a tougher approach against air pollution，” Chai said.
In the new plan， the Central Government pledged to invest 1.7 trillion yuan （$277.32 billion） in the fight against air pollution over the next five years.
The primary goal is to reduce PM2.5 levels. Experts consider PM2.5 to be one of the most dangerous pollutants， warning that it can become lodged deep in the lungs and cause health problems.
According to the plan， China will increase clean energy production and cut consumption of coal， which supplies most of the country’s electricity and remains a major source of air pollution. The country aims to reduce coal consumption to less than 65 percent of the country’s total primary energy use by 2017， it says.
Use of clean energy such as natural gas and coal-bed methane is to be increased and construction projects that fail to pass environmental evaluations will not be allowed to continue.
To further cut pollution， combined heat and power plants will gradually replace decentralized coal-fired boilers in industries such as chemical engineering， papermaking， dyeing and tanning.
In addition， China will promote the refitting of various industries， and further tighten control over industries that are highly polluting and energy-intensive.
One of the most important issues is curbing excess output in industries that emit high levels of pollution， consume high amounts of energy and are heavily reliant on natural resources， said Wang Jinnan. The sectors targeted by the latest action plan include iron and steel， cement， electrolytic aluminum and flat glass.
According to the document， an original target set for 2015 to close outdated production capacity in key industrial sectors will be achieved by 2014.
Heavier penalties will be imposed for violations of environmental， energy conservation and safety requirements， while energy conservation and environmental protection standards will be strictly implemented to support the phasing out of excess production capacity， it adds. Although eliminating outdated methods of industrial production may have negative effects on local economies， Wang Jinnan said that the action plan will boost green industries， stimulating GDP growth of about 2.5 trillion yuan（$407.83 billion）.
Cleaner fuel
The new action plan also aims to control vehicle emissions. China has been the world’s top automobile producer and exporter for four consecutive years. During that period， the number of registered motor vehicles in the country grew by 12 percent every year， reaching 80 million at the end of 2011.
According to the MEP， airborne pollutants emitted by automobiles are also increasing， accounting for more than 20 percent of airborne pollutants.
“The main factor affecting vehicle emissions is the quality of fuel. Improving fuel quality can reduce pollution and help prevent smog，”said Zhou Dadi， an expert with the China Energy Research Society.
On September 17， the MEP unveiled phase 5 of its emission standards for light vehicles.
The new standards， coming eight years after phase 4， reduce the limit for nitrogen oxides by 25-28 percent. It also requires the emissions of fine particulate matter to be slashed by 82 percent.
The new standards are expected to help reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide by 90，000 tons and fine particles by 20，000 within five years.
Under the country’s fuel quality improvement timetable， phase 4 standards for gasoline and diesel should be met by the start of 2014 and the start 2015 respectively. Both gasoline and diesel are expected to meet phase 5 standards by the start of 2018.
Once implemented， the phase 5 standards will limit sulfur content to lower than 10 mg per gram of gasoline， reducing nitrogen oxide emissions by an estimated 300，000 tons and fine particle emissions by 30，000 tons annually， according to the MEP.
Focus on Beijing
Under the national action plan， special attention is being given to Beijing and its neighbor Tianjin and Hebei Province.
“The region is being targeted because air pollution is most serious there，” Wang Jinnan commented.
According to a MEP statement issued in August， 26.2 percent of days in the first half of the year saw heavy air pollution. This makes the region the worst of the three metropolis clusters monitored by the ministry， the others being the Yangtze River Delta—consisting of Shanghai， Jiangsu Province and Zhejiang Province—and the Pearl River Delta—consisting of the area in south China’s Guangdong Province surrounding Guangzhou and Shenzhen. The average levels of PM 2.5 in Beijing and its surrounding areas’ air reached 115 mg per cubic meter， more than three times what the national standard defines as good air quality.
Echoing the national action plan， the Beijing Municipal Government unveiled its own fiveyear plan on September 12 to improve air quality through measures such as cutting coal consumption， promoting clean energy use and reducing the production of heavily polluting industries. Under the plan， air quality will improve significantly by 2017， with PM2.5 levels to be reduced to around 60 mg per cubic meter.
The plan aims to shut down all of the capi-tal’s coal-fired power plants by 2017， with the government cutting annual coal consumption by 13 million tons over the next five years， a reduction to less than half of 2012 levels. Coal burning power plants will be phased out by 2016， with four gas-fired power plants under construction expected to help reduce coal use by 9.2 million tons.
Statistics show that coal accounts for 16.7 percent of Beijing’s PM2.5 pollution， second only to the 22.2 percent contributed by vehicle emissions.
The capital currently has 5.35 million vehicles， which consume over 4 million tons of gasoline and more than 2 million tons of diesel annually， said Li Kunsheng， an official in charge of vehicle emissions management at the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau.
Annual vehicle emissions are about 900，000 tons and contain 77，000 tons of hy- drocarbons and over 80，000 tons of nitrogen oxides， according to Li.
“Vehicle emissions have been proven to contain over 100 carcinogenic substances. Even worse， the emissions are discharged at low altitudes， affecting people’s health directly，” Li said.
According to the city’s plan， by 2017， the number of vehicles in the city is expected to be no more than 6 million， according to the plan.
The city’s traffic management and environmental protection bureaus will prepare rules for passenger cars by the end of 2013. The rules are expected to be implemented in 2014 and will mainly focus on time and zone restrictions for personal vehicle use.
By promoting clean energy and lowemission vehicles， reducing the intensity of vehicle use and strictly enforcing regulations， the government expects to reduce total ve- hicle fuel consumption by 5 percent or more compared to 2012.
In order to clean up the city’s air， the Beijing Municipal Government also rolled out measures to curb industrial pollution. According to the city’s plan， 1，200 polluting companies will be ordered to upgrade or close their offending facilities by 2016. Authorities will identify polluters in township- and village-level industrial areas and shut them down if they fail to meet pollution reduction targets.
Starting this year， measurements of sulfur dioxide， nitrogen oxides， dust and volatile organic compound emissions will be a prerequisite for the environmental impact assessments for all new construction projects. As a result， in regions or industries that fail to meet air-pollution reduction targets， no new projects that emit major air pollutants will be given approval.
The local government plans to raise fees for sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions this year and levy a fee for emissions of volatile organic compounds next year.
Under Beijing’s plan， companies that break environmental laws will not qualify for bank loans， fund-raising through public offerings or value-added tax breaks starting this year.
Accountability
According to Zhai Xiaohui， an official with the Publicity Division of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau， 84 items under the capital’s air-pollution reduction plan have been assigned to specific officials from 42 government departments and 23 companies.
“This plan is the most effective one in recent years concerning air pollution， and it makes clear the responsibility of specific departments and persons，” Zhai commented， adding that implementation of the plan will be linked to the performance evaluation system for government departments and officials.
Officials at a local-level in China have long been blamed for ignoring environmental security due to their GDP-obsessed development strategies.
“It’s time to change our development model and put more focus on environmental protection，” said Ma Jun， Director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs， a Beijingbased non-governmental organization.
Ma advises the government to evaluate local officials’ performances based on their environmental records rather than on economic growth rates.
Zhai， in turn， calls for greater public involvement in the fighting against air pollution.“Considering the dire situation we face today， the public’s participation is sorely needed if we are to be successful，” he said.
“These last decades， we have witnessed the path Beijing has taken： from a city that is bicycle-friendly to one of traffic jams and rapidly worsening air pollution. The targets of national-and municipal-level action plans， if taken seriously， are expected to turn this situation around，” said Wu Changhua， Greater China Director of the Climate Group， an independent， non-profit organization with operations in China， India， Europe and North America. The city should also devise a plan to encourage Beijing to become a leading envi- ronmentally friendly city， through infrastructure that supports public transport， bicycles and pedestrians， Wu said.
Yu Jianhua， Director of the Division of Air Environmental Management with the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau， also noted that while efforts have been taken in the capital， the regions neighboring Beijing should also intensify efforts to reduce pollution.
Heavy-chemical industry bases—including iron and steel， building materials， thermal power， and cement—surround Beijing， all of these contributing significantly to the capital city’s air pollution.
“Improvements in Beijing’s air quality can only be realized if the overall situation in the region improves，” Yu said.
On September 18， at a meeting on the prevention and control of air pollution in Beijing and its surrounding areas， Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli called for efforts to combat air pollution in heavily-polluted areas surrounding the capital.
Zhang urged the local governments of Beijing and Tianjin， as well as Hebei， Shanxi and Shandong provinces and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region， to set strict goals and shoulder the responsibility of quality of air within their jurisdiction.
The vice premier called for a system that can enable coordinated anti-pollution efforts in multiple regions with supervision and enforcement of the law， as well as a platform for sharing environmental information.
At the meeting， the MEP and the governments of six province-level regions signed an agreement on goals and responsibilities for air pollution prevention and control.
On September 23， the MEP released targets for the six regions. By 2017， the concentration of PM2.5 is to be reduced by 25 percent from 2012 levels in Beijing， Tianjin and Hebei； by 20 percent in Shanxi and Shandong； and by 10 percent in Inner Mongolia.
“My parents canceled some of our plans， including a trip to the Great Wall，” He complained.
According to Beijing’s meteorological authorities， with the exception of favorable weather on October 2 and 3， the holiday saw the city shrouded in the heaviest smog in months.
Another report from the China Meteorological Administration showed that Beijing had 14 days of heavy smog from September 1 to 28， 10 more than the average over the last 20 years for the same period.
“I’m looking forward to my next visit and hope it will be better then，” He said before leaving Beijing.
For He and others， the action plan against air pollution released on September 12 by the State Council， China’s cabinet， can bring some reassurance.
According to the Airborne Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan （2013-17），“In five years， air quality in China will see a significant improvement， with heavily polluted days to be drastically reduced.”
The document stipulates that by 2017， the density of airborne particles， especially PM2.5—those less than 2.5 microns in diameter—are to be reduced by 25 percent compared to the levels recorded in Beijing and surrounding areas in 2012.
In the action plan， the Chinese Government vows to use a multifaceted approach to tackle air pollution with cutting coal use， shutting down heavy polluters and promoting cleaner production at the forefront.
Experts say that this plan is a landmark achievement in the government’s fight to control air pollution.
“The plan shows that the government is focusing on improving air quality and paying more attention to the need to control the sources of pollutants，” said Wang Jinnan， Vice President of the Chinese Academy for Environmental Planning.
Chai Fahe， Vice President of the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences， affiliated with the Ministry of Environmental Protection （MEP）， said that in order to carry out the plan effectively， government departments and research institutes should create a formal national-level inventory of atmospheric pollutant emissions and an effective supervision system.
Sights set high
The action plan details 35 measures across 10 areas for addressing pollution， including plans for cutting vehicle emissions and coal consumption， transforming industrial structure and evaluating emissions reduction. “These 35 measures are directed at sources of PM2.5， the main contributor to heavy smog in cities. If they can be implemented， China can realize other goals such as reducing coal consumption and improving air quality，” said Wang Jian， Deputy Director of the MEP’s Department of Pollution Prevention and Control.
In December last year， the Chinese Government unveiled an air pollution reduction plan aimed at cutting the level of airborne particulate matter by at least 5 percent across 13 key areas covering 117 cities by 2015.
“The thick smog and haze have pressured policymakers to consider a tougher approach against air pollution，” Chai said.
In the new plan， the Central Government pledged to invest 1.7 trillion yuan （$277.32 billion） in the fight against air pollution over the next five years.
The primary goal is to reduce PM2.5 levels. Experts consider PM2.5 to be one of the most dangerous pollutants， warning that it can become lodged deep in the lungs and cause health problems.
According to the plan， China will increase clean energy production and cut consumption of coal， which supplies most of the country’s electricity and remains a major source of air pollution. The country aims to reduce coal consumption to less than 65 percent of the country’s total primary energy use by 2017， it says.
Use of clean energy such as natural gas and coal-bed methane is to be increased and construction projects that fail to pass environmental evaluations will not be allowed to continue.
To further cut pollution， combined heat and power plants will gradually replace decentralized coal-fired boilers in industries such as chemical engineering， papermaking， dyeing and tanning.
In addition， China will promote the refitting of various industries， and further tighten control over industries that are highly polluting and energy-intensive.
One of the most important issues is curbing excess output in industries that emit high levels of pollution， consume high amounts of energy and are heavily reliant on natural resources， said Wang Jinnan. The sectors targeted by the latest action plan include iron and steel， cement， electrolytic aluminum and flat glass.
According to the document， an original target set for 2015 to close outdated production capacity in key industrial sectors will be achieved by 2014.
Heavier penalties will be imposed for violations of environmental， energy conservation and safety requirements， while energy conservation and environmental protection standards will be strictly implemented to support the phasing out of excess production capacity， it adds. Although eliminating outdated methods of industrial production may have negative effects on local economies， Wang Jinnan said that the action plan will boost green industries， stimulating GDP growth of about 2.5 trillion yuan（$407.83 billion）.
Cleaner fuel
The new action plan also aims to control vehicle emissions. China has been the world’s top automobile producer and exporter for four consecutive years. During that period， the number of registered motor vehicles in the country grew by 12 percent every year， reaching 80 million at the end of 2011.
According to the MEP， airborne pollutants emitted by automobiles are also increasing， accounting for more than 20 percent of airborne pollutants.
“The main factor affecting vehicle emissions is the quality of fuel. Improving fuel quality can reduce pollution and help prevent smog，”said Zhou Dadi， an expert with the China Energy Research Society.
On September 17， the MEP unveiled phase 5 of its emission standards for light vehicles.
The new standards， coming eight years after phase 4， reduce the limit for nitrogen oxides by 25-28 percent. It also requires the emissions of fine particulate matter to be slashed by 82 percent.
The new standards are expected to help reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide by 90，000 tons and fine particles by 20，000 within five years.
Under the country’s fuel quality improvement timetable， phase 4 standards for gasoline and diesel should be met by the start of 2014 and the start 2015 respectively. Both gasoline and diesel are expected to meet phase 5 standards by the start of 2018.
Once implemented， the phase 5 standards will limit sulfur content to lower than 10 mg per gram of gasoline， reducing nitrogen oxide emissions by an estimated 300，000 tons and fine particle emissions by 30，000 tons annually， according to the MEP.
Focus on Beijing
Under the national action plan， special attention is being given to Beijing and its neighbor Tianjin and Hebei Province.
“The region is being targeted because air pollution is most serious there，” Wang Jinnan commented.
According to a MEP statement issued in August， 26.2 percent of days in the first half of the year saw heavy air pollution. This makes the region the worst of the three metropolis clusters monitored by the ministry， the others being the Yangtze River Delta—consisting of Shanghai， Jiangsu Province and Zhejiang Province—and the Pearl River Delta—consisting of the area in south China’s Guangdong Province surrounding Guangzhou and Shenzhen. The average levels of PM 2.5 in Beijing and its surrounding areas’ air reached 115 mg per cubic meter， more than three times what the national standard defines as good air quality.
Echoing the national action plan， the Beijing Municipal Government unveiled its own fiveyear plan on September 12 to improve air quality through measures such as cutting coal consumption， promoting clean energy use and reducing the production of heavily polluting industries. Under the plan， air quality will improve significantly by 2017， with PM2.5 levels to be reduced to around 60 mg per cubic meter.
The plan aims to shut down all of the capi-tal’s coal-fired power plants by 2017， with the government cutting annual coal consumption by 13 million tons over the next five years， a reduction to less than half of 2012 levels. Coal burning power plants will be phased out by 2016， with four gas-fired power plants under construction expected to help reduce coal use by 9.2 million tons.
Statistics show that coal accounts for 16.7 percent of Beijing’s PM2.5 pollution， second only to the 22.2 percent contributed by vehicle emissions.
The capital currently has 5.35 million vehicles， which consume over 4 million tons of gasoline and more than 2 million tons of diesel annually， said Li Kunsheng， an official in charge of vehicle emissions management at the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau.
Annual vehicle emissions are about 900，000 tons and contain 77，000 tons of hy- drocarbons and over 80，000 tons of nitrogen oxides， according to Li.
“Vehicle emissions have been proven to contain over 100 carcinogenic substances. Even worse， the emissions are discharged at low altitudes， affecting people’s health directly，” Li said.
According to the city’s plan， by 2017， the number of vehicles in the city is expected to be no more than 6 million， according to the plan.
The city’s traffic management and environmental protection bureaus will prepare rules for passenger cars by the end of 2013. The rules are expected to be implemented in 2014 and will mainly focus on time and zone restrictions for personal vehicle use.
By promoting clean energy and lowemission vehicles， reducing the intensity of vehicle use and strictly enforcing regulations， the government expects to reduce total ve- hicle fuel consumption by 5 percent or more compared to 2012.
In order to clean up the city’s air， the Beijing Municipal Government also rolled out measures to curb industrial pollution. According to the city’s plan， 1，200 polluting companies will be ordered to upgrade or close their offending facilities by 2016. Authorities will identify polluters in township- and village-level industrial areas and shut them down if they fail to meet pollution reduction targets.
Starting this year， measurements of sulfur dioxide， nitrogen oxides， dust and volatile organic compound emissions will be a prerequisite for the environmental impact assessments for all new construction projects. As a result， in regions or industries that fail to meet air-pollution reduction targets， no new projects that emit major air pollutants will be given approval.
The local government plans to raise fees for sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions this year and levy a fee for emissions of volatile organic compounds next year.
Under Beijing’s plan， companies that break environmental laws will not qualify for bank loans， fund-raising through public offerings or value-added tax breaks starting this year.
Accountability
According to Zhai Xiaohui， an official with the Publicity Division of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau， 84 items under the capital’s air-pollution reduction plan have been assigned to specific officials from 42 government departments and 23 companies.
“This plan is the most effective one in recent years concerning air pollution， and it makes clear the responsibility of specific departments and persons，” Zhai commented， adding that implementation of the plan will be linked to the performance evaluation system for government departments and officials.
Officials at a local-level in China have long been blamed for ignoring environmental security due to their GDP-obsessed development strategies.
“It’s time to change our development model and put more focus on environmental protection，” said Ma Jun， Director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs， a Beijingbased non-governmental organization.
Ma advises the government to evaluate local officials’ performances based on their environmental records rather than on economic growth rates.
Zhai， in turn， calls for greater public involvement in the fighting against air pollution.“Considering the dire situation we face today， the public’s participation is sorely needed if we are to be successful，” he said.
“These last decades， we have witnessed the path Beijing has taken： from a city that is bicycle-friendly to one of traffic jams and rapidly worsening air pollution. The targets of national-and municipal-level action plans， if taken seriously， are expected to turn this situation around，” said Wu Changhua， Greater China Director of the Climate Group， an independent， non-profit organization with operations in China， India， Europe and North America. The city should also devise a plan to encourage Beijing to become a leading envi- ronmentally friendly city， through infrastructure that supports public transport， bicycles and pedestrians， Wu said.
Yu Jianhua， Director of the Division of Air Environmental Management with the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau， also noted that while efforts have been taken in the capital， the regions neighboring Beijing should also intensify efforts to reduce pollution.
Heavy-chemical industry bases—including iron and steel， building materials， thermal power， and cement—surround Beijing， all of these contributing significantly to the capital city’s air pollution.
“Improvements in Beijing’s air quality can only be realized if the overall situation in the region improves，” Yu said.
On September 18， at a meeting on the prevention and control of air pollution in Beijing and its surrounding areas， Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli called for efforts to combat air pollution in heavily-polluted areas surrounding the capital.
Zhang urged the local governments of Beijing and Tianjin， as well as Hebei， Shanxi and Shandong provinces and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region， to set strict goals and shoulder the responsibility of quality of air within their jurisdiction.
The vice premier called for a system that can enable coordinated anti-pollution efforts in multiple regions with supervision and enforcement of the law， as well as a platform for sharing environmental information.
At the meeting， the MEP and the governments of six province-level regions signed an agreement on goals and responsibilities for air pollution prevention and control.
On September 23， the MEP released targets for the six regions. By 2017， the concentration of PM2.5 is to be reduced by 25 percent from 2012 levels in Beijing， Tianjin and Hebei； by 20 percent in Shanxi and Shandong； and by 10 percent in Inner Mongolia.