BEIJING: China has managed to realize a win-win between socioeconomic development and environmental protection in its action to enhance air pollution control since 2013, said Li Haisheng, president of the Chinese Academy of Environmental Sciences.
Li made the remark on Thursday during an annual meeting of the heads of national environmental science institutions from China, Japan and South Korea, which was held virtually this year.
Since 2013, when China launched a national campaign to beef up air pollution control, “regions across the country have all experienced remarkable improvement in air quality”, he said.
The 74 major cities that started to monitor PM2.5 (particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less), saw the density of the pollutant drop by 56 percent in the past 10 years, he continued.
The significant improvement happened as the country’s GDP sustained consistent, fast growth, he said, adding this is a result of the country’s endeavor to accelerate green transition.
Great efforts, for example, have been made in China to optimize the industrial structure. Since 2013, China has phased out production capacity in the steel industry by 300 million metric tons and in the cement industry by 400 million tons, he noted.
“The country has comprehensively introduced extra-low emission standards in all key industries, and has established the world’s largest clean coal-fired power supply system,” he said.
He said two-thirds of the increase in the country’s energy consumption in the past 10 years was met by renewable energy.
–The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
