Beijing has done it by following environmental norms and by cutting down on coal consumption, decreasing vehicular emissions, and relocating the heavy industries.
The representatives at Beijing’s environmental protection bureau has confirmed the mean annual readings of minute, dangerous airborne particles, known as PM 2.5, as 33 micrograms per cubic meter in the capital city of China, Beijing over the whole year of 2021 which is 13 per cent less than the previous year and met the national air quality standards of China, which is 35 micrograms per cubic meter, for the first time which is still much higher than the recommended value by World Health Organisation(WHO) which is 5 micrograms per cubic meter.
According to Yu Jinhua, the deputy head of Beijing’s environmental protection bureau, Beijing’s awareness, efforts, and speed of improvements over the past ten years were “unprecedented”.
He further added that all the regions and departments worked hard and brought the entire society together to achieve all-around improvements in Beijing’s air quality. Compared to 2013, the skies were more clear for around four months in 2021.
In 2014, after a series of hazardous smog build-ups which triggered widespread anger, China declared war on pollution.
In 2015, Beijing promised to use the staging of the Winter Olympics in 2022 to bring the necessary improvements in the environment and host “green” games with the President of China, Xi Jinping.
In 2016, progress took place. Average PM 2.5 readings reached 71 micrograms per cubic meter, which frequently reach 500 micrograms per cubic meter during the months of winter, because of the shifting of coal-dominated heating systems throughout Beijing.
Beijing and Hebei made sincere efforts to mitigate the environmental issues. They turned to cleaner natural gas, built solar and wind farms, and planted more trees across the region. It has imposed strict new fuel standards on cars. They had forced steel mills and many other factories to install equipment to control emissions.
Ritika Bhatia
About The Writer
Ritika Bhatia is a Ramanujan College student majoring in Environmental Sciences at the University of Delhi. Global warming and climate change are two of her study interests. Ritika aims to make a difference in society by educating people about the importance of the environment. She believes that environmental protection is everyone’s responsibility.