News Agency
\nBeijing
\nChina aims to effectively eliminate severe air pollution by the end of 2025, a senior environment official said, as authorities ramp up efforts in pollution control and emissions reduction in the \u201cbattle for blue skies.\u201d
\nChina will improve its air quality forecasting and early warning systems and enhance coordinated management of harmful airborne particles known as PM2.5, as well as ozone pollution, said Li Tianwei, Director of the Department of Atmospheric Environment.
\n\u201cThe battle for blue skies remains unchanged,\u201d said Li, according to a transcript on the Ministry of Ecology and Environment\u2019s website on Monday.
\nThough some progress has been made, air pollution remains a major problem in China and affects economies and people\u2019s quality of life, said the World Health Organisation (WHO).
\nAir pollution is responsible for about two million deaths in China annually, the WHO said. Of those deaths, ambient air pollution caused more than one million deaths, while household air pollution from cooking with polluting fuels and technologies caused another million deaths, it said on its website.
\nThe WHO considers PM2.5 concentrations above 50 microgrammes per cubic metre \u201csevere\u201d air pollution.
\nChina\u2019s air quality improved significantly in 2024, said Li. The average concentration of PM2.5 in cities was 29.3 microgrammes per cubic metre, a year-on-year decrease of 2.7%.
\nThe proportion of days with good air quality reached 87.2%, up by 1.7 percentage points year-on-year.
\nChina must introduce new emission standards that align with global best practises, said Li, adding that the country will boost the share of new energy vehicles and machinery in airports, ports and logistics parks.
\nAuthorities also plan to promote the long-distance transportation of bulk goods by rail and water, rather than by roads.
\nPresident Xi Jinping has said China prioritises environmental protection, promoting green lifestyles and that conservation of nature is an essential part of building a modern socialist country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
News Agency Beijing China aims to effectively eliminate severe air pollution by the end of 2025, a senior environment official said, as authorities ramp up efforts in pollution control and emissions reduction in the \u201cbattle for blue skies.\u201d China will improve its air quality forecasting and early warning systems and enhance coordinated management of harmful […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":463865,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-463853","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n