Since 2011, the Chinese central government has carried out a series of measures to curb air pollution. Last week President Xi Jinping outlined several ways the government has acted to achieve “green development”.
For example the Beijing government implemented the mechanism of accountability of air pollution and improved the prevention and control of atmospheric pollution, amended the heavy air pollution emergency plan, focus on the governance of rural scattered pollution from coal, high motor vehicles and urban-rural fringe, increased the use of new energy vehicles in public transport, sanitation and postal services, and strengthen supervision and control over air pollution, control the dust, regulate motor vehicle exhaust, and thoroughly control industrial waste gas.
China is following the requirements of the Central Government to study and formulate a three-year battle plan for the “Battle of the Blue Skie’s. This program is being researched and formulated.
The first step to improve pollution requires identification of the primary factors which require improvement. This means highlighting the key factor for the measurement of improvement, that is, PM2.5, which is an important measure of air pollution; The key areas for pollution, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and surrounding areas, the Yangtze River Delta, the plain, and other key areas. The key industries causing pollution, including steel, thermal power, cement, glass, coking, and petrochemicals, as well as our automotive and bulk coal combustion sectors. And the key seasons, that is, autumn and winter. The pollution in autumn and winter is heavier than usual.
The second step means optimizing the structure. The structure mainly includes four aspects. The first is the industrial structure. In terms of optimizing the industrial structure, China will continue to promote the elimination of excess production capacity, the elimination of outdated production capacity, promote the rectification of the scattered and polluted industries, the emission standards of industrial enterprises, and the ultra-low emission reforms of iron and steel and thermal power industries. The second optimized energy structure will intensify efforts to eliminate non-compliance coal-fired smolder units that are not up to the standard, and at the same time promote the phase-out and transformation of small coal-fired boilers, and steadily promote the coal-to-gas conversion of rural residents’ bulk coal combustion. Change coal to electricity and focus on the development and utilization of clean energy. The third is to optimize the transport structure, China will focus on promoting the transformation of road transport to rail transport, focus on carrying out special rectification of diesel trucks exceeding the standard, continue to promote the elimination of yellow-label cars, old cars, and vigorously develop new energy vehicles. Finally China will optimize the land use structure. China must continue to vigorously carry out greening operations such as re-forestation and grass-planting, greatly increase forestry and grass coverage, and focus on remediation of open-pit mines, because there are more dust in this area and traffic, roads, the dust on the construction site is well managed and the straw is banned from burning.
The third step reinforces support from law enforcement supervision. Including strengthening regional joint prevention and control and strengthening scientific and technological innovation with the goal of eliminating haze and finally curing air pollution. Ecological environmental protection, technological innovation, and technical support are essential. China must also strengthen education and guidance, so that the forces of the entire society can join in and work together to fight this battle.
The fourth step means to achieve the “four obvious” goals proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the Central Economic Work Conference on the protection of the blue sky. That is, the concentration of PM2.5 must be significantly reduced, and the number of heavy pollution days should be significantly reduced; the quality of the atmospheric environment has improved significantly, and the people’s sense of happiness in the blue sky has clearly increased.