China’s war against pollution commended by Chicago University

Published: September 05,2023

By Gerald Mbanda

The energy policy Institute at the University of Chicago in U.S has praised China’s great success on war against pollution in its annual Air Quality Index report. Pollution levels globally have fallen slightly from 2013 to 2021 – which the report said was “entirely due to China’s progress.” The report further says that due to China’s efforts to combat pollution, Chinese people are now living two years longer. The current life expectancy for China in 2023 is 77.47 years, a 0.22% increase from 2022.

The report published by CNN, on August 30, 2023, left many readers wondering how for the first time in years, the American media outlet had published a positive story about China. “Western media definitely knows that China has many positive stories, only that it sold its soul to geo-political interests,” a political analyst told Africa–China Review.

China’s capital Beijing  was ten years ago often covered with dense smog in yellow and grey colors that shielded almost everything from clear view and people locked their windows and donned face masks to protect themselves from danger of pollution. Today, “The ‘Beijing blue’ (blue skyline) has become a constant view and the self-protection face masks are almost gone.

The efforts to curb air pollution that was so bad which saw Chinese leaders launch a multibillion-dollar “war against pollution”, the report says. “A decade on, those efforts are paying dividends. China’s pollution levels in 2021 had fallen 42% from 2013,” according to a new report released by the energy policy Institute at the University of Chicago on Tuesday, August 29, 2023. The report says that it is a rare success story in the region, where pollution is getting worse in some parts, including South Asia.

China’s success story to combat air pollution is a combination of government’s good will and the support of the people. “At the foundation of those actions were common elements: political will and resources, both human and financial, that reinforced each other….when the public and policymakers have these tools, action becomes much more likely.”

The report further  highlights that, “since 2014 the Chinese government has limited the number of cars on roads in major cities; banned new coal plants from the most-polluted areas; cut emissions or closed existing plants; and reduced high-polluting industrial activity such as the manufacturing of iron and steel.” The government also invested heavily in afforestation and reforestation programs, such as the Great Green Wall, which has led to the planting of over 35 billion trees across 12 provinces. 

China’s most significant environmental policy is the 2013 Air Pollution Action Plan, which has led to big improvements in air quality between 2013 and 2017. However, it has been noted that progress has not been uniform, with many cities still struggling to meet the World Health Organization’s recommended annual average PM2.5 levels. 

China’s commitment to the fight against air pollution was strengthened with the introduction of the Three-year Action Plan for Winning the Blue Sky War in 2018. This plan expanded the scope of the 2013 Action Plan to cover all Chinese cities, setting ambitious reduction targets for PM2.5 levels and emissions of volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides. China’s war against air pollution is on the right path to create green and healthy cities.

Gerald Mbanda is a Researcher and publisher on China and Africa.  

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