Beijing once among the world’s most polluted cities now has clean air

By Africa China Review staff Reporter 

A few years ago, China’s capital city Beijing was among the most polluted cities in the world with dense smog and acrid air which paused health hazards to the city dwellers. The story is different today. The skies of Beijing are most of the time blue a sign that the environment has clean air. “The ‘Beijing blue’ has gradually become our new normal,” said Huang Runqiu, the minister, of Ecology and Environment in a recent interview, as the city recorded its best monthly air quality since records began in 2013.

Beijing only recorded 10 days of heavy air pollution last year, Huang said — a drop of nearly 80% since 2015. The residents in Beijing are happy that they can now see the Blue skies and enjoy summer sunny days which were a rare occasion in the past years. The improvement of the air quality in Beijing and other Chinese cities is testimony that the Chinese authorities have taken anti-pollution strategies seriously. 

China faced the worst air pollution in 2013 termed as ‘air-pocalypse.’ It is in the same year that president Xi Jinping became president and pledged start a campaign trail to clean up the environment. This campaign has tremendously been successful and given tourists, investors and local residents confidence to live a healthy life. 

The government invested heavily into a national air pollution action plan.  New regulations were initiated; nationwide air monitoring stations were set up, and coal mines and coal plants were shut down systematically. It is reported that by 2014, China had declared a national “war against pollution.”

Apart from shutting down coal plants, green spaces were created in Beijing and other cities. A national campaign to plant trees increased the freshness of Chinese cities. According to information from China’s State Forestry and Grasslands Commission, China plans to plant 36,000 square kilometres of new forest a year until 2025 as a measure to combat climate change and better protect natural habitats. 

It is reported that the total area pledged to have trees planted each year is greater than the size of Belgium, described as “land greening” by Li Chunliang, vice-chairman of the State Forestry and Grasslands Commission. According to the forest and grassland five-year plan, China aims to raise its overall forest coverage rate from 23.04 to 24.1 per cent by the end of 2025, and to bring carbon emissions down to net zero by 2060. 

Additionally, China is already implementing a green car campaign of switching from fuel powered vehicles to electric ones. The campaign set a target of increasing sales of clean energy cars to 10 percent of the overall auto sales by 2020 with the aim of reducing carbon emissions. 

President Xi attending tree planting in Beijing. Photo Courtesy: China.org.cn

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