China has managed to tackle pollution tremendously over the last few years by taking proactive actions and anti-pollution measures. According to a report from the ‘Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air’ (CREA), China’s air quality improved in the first half of 2024 as the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) reduced by 2.9 per cent compared to 2023.
The report said that levels of coarse particulate matter (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and sulphur dioxide (SO2), have also decreased year by year.
What has China done to control the menace?
China used to be a country grappling with severe pollution due to massive oil consumption. Almost a decade ago, in 2013, the air quality had deteriorated so much that the PM2.5 level reached 101.56 micrograms per cubic meter of air, data from Statista shows.
The same parameter improved drastically in a span of 10 years. In 2023, China had a PM2.5 air pollution level of 38.98 micrograms per cubic meter of air.
China did not achieve a significant victory in its battle against pollution in one day. It had to implement a series of comprehensive strategic plans and programs to combat this crisis.
According to a report in the ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, one of the key factors in the major shift was urban rail expansion. The country’s car-centric transportation system transformed into a sustainable mobility model.
A state-of-the-art integrated air quality monitoring network was established in 2016, which led to the usage of high-quality technologies such as HD satellite, remote sensing and laser radar, the report said. This helped the country to monitor pollution better.
Network systems monitoring PM2.5 levels, with more than 1000 sensors across the city, helped identify the areas emitting maximum polluting factors.
Several other initiatives like Low Emission Zones (LEZs), Five-Year Plans, and incentivizing new energy vehicles (NEVs) contributed heavily to the reduced levels of pollution in China.
Stepping out of the Covid era
China and the world battled with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. However, according to author Yanzhong Huang, China’s air quality seemed to improve even during the Covid era (2020-2022) (Council on Foreign Affairs). The data from Statista showed that in 2020, the PM2.5 level stood at 38.84 micrograms per cubic meter of air, while in 2021 it was at 40.54.
Author Yanzhong Huang quoted the Chinese ambassador to the United States Xie Feng, who highlighted this achievement in pollution levels during the Covid era at Harvard. He had said: “Ten years ago, at the APEC welcome banquet, President Xi Jinping predicted that Beijing would enjoy lasting blue skies. Today, the temporary “APEC blue” has transformed into the enduring “Beijing blue” and “China blue”. China now boasts the fastest air quality improvement worldwide.”
The most notable improvement in air quality occurred in the GBD Super Region, of Southeast Asia, East Asia and Oceania. The State of Global Air (SOGA) said it was largely because of the air quality controls imposed by China.
Is China’s battle truly over?
Huang said that celebrating the end of China’s battle against pollution would be a premature decision. Huang explained that this is because the PM2.5 level still falls short of the World Health Organization (WHO) of 5 μg/m³.
He noted that there is no sign of the Chinese government reversing the increasing trend of other pollutants, like O3 (ozone). Surface ozone contributes to respiratory conditions and also increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases and infections.
China’s increased dependence on fossil fuels is also a concern, the CFR report said. This is because the country has managed to reduce coal share in its energy mix from 67.4 per cent in 2013 to 57.7 per cent in 2019. But, due to electricity shortages in the country in 2021, China had to authorize 2018 gigawatts of new coal power in two years.
China’s coal production touched a record 4.66 billion metric tons by 2023, which was a 2.9 percent increase from the last year. The CFR report by Huang said that regions that are unable to meet the required PM2.5 levels are those which have an increased level of coal production and thermal power generation.
Therefore, coal production can be a significant hurdle in China’s pollution control measures fructifying to the maximum level.
