Government sets urgent deadline to confront 'severe' looming crisis: 'The battle … remains unchanged'
The Chinese government announced its commitment to eliminate severe air pollution by the end of 2025.
"The battle for blue skies remains unchanged," Li Tianwei, director of the Department of Atmospheric Environment, said, Reuters reported.
About 2 million people die yearly from China's air pollution. One million of those deaths are attributed to "ambient air pollution," which refers to outdoor air pollutants. This pollution impacts everyone who lives in China and surrounding countries. As one of the world's leaders in pollution, China with its poor air quality hurts the whole world.
Ozone pollution and harmful airborne particles called PM2.5 are the main contributors to the "severe" air quality conditions. The World Health Organization defines "severe" pollution as PM2.5 concentration above 50 micrograms per cubic meter. China's average concentration in 2024 was 29.3. The country's air is improving but slowly.
The government plans to introduce more clean-energy vehicles and machinery to ports, airports, and logistics parks. These changes will reduce the use of dirty fuels. They will prioritize long-distance transportation of bulk goods via railways and waterways instead of roads.
According to Sustainability Magazine, China is also making vehicle pollution standards stricter. Its vehicle industry has grown rapidly, leading to a substantial increase in emissions. Roughly 10% of China's carbon pollution comes from transportation. So, sweeping changes in the transportation sector could have a significant and positive impact.
The nation is also moving toward cleaner energy sources and away from coal and oil. While vehicle emissions are serious, industrialism contributes even more to China's smog. But advanced technologies in factories can help reduce the dangerous pollution.
According to The Guardian, experts are optimistic about China's plan to go greener, with a climate think tank revealing that almost half say they believe the country's pollution has peaked or will peak in 2025.
Lauri Myllyvirta, lead analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, explained what China needs to do, saying: "In order to align with the Paris agreement … China will need to either speed up renewable energy deployment even further or guide economic development in a less energy-intensive direction."
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The country's efforts won't just help their citizens, but will also make the planet healthier for everyone.
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