If you asked a Beijing resident his or her biggest concern
regarding the environment in the capital city, the most likely
answer would be "air quality."
Air quality in most of China's urban regions, which are home to
large populations and numerous industries, has become a heated
topic among the public and a challenge for governments at all
levels.
The State Council recently approved a plan to curb air pollution in
113 key cities, including Beijing and Shanghai, which requires that
air quality in the cities be improved to meet the national standard
by 2005.
In
China, air quality is classified into three levels, with level one
meaning almost zero pollution and level three seriously
polluted.
Level two, which means the air is slightly polluted, has been
adopted as the national standard for air quality.
According to the plan, announced by the pollution control
department of the State Environmental Protection Administration
yesterday, air quality in 39 of China's cities has already reached
the standard and the major task for such cities is maintenance.
In
the remaining 74 cities, strict measures are needed to bring air
quality up to the national standard.
Local governments are urged by the plan to promote the use of clean
sources of energy, such as natural gas and liquid gas, through a
ban on dirty fuels in certain areas. The consumption of coal
especially needs to be reduced.
The plan demands that clean production be adopted so that pollution
can be curbed at its source.
Enterprises that still use backward technologies, consume energy in
large quantities, and seriously pollute the environment will be
shut down or upgraded.
Companies will be encouraged to set up environmental management
systems and ISO14000, the international standard for environmental
management, is to be popularized among qualified enterprises.
The management of automobiles to curb pollution will be
strengthened and the development of automobiles powered by clean
energies, as well as public transport, will be enhanced.
To
prevent particulates from being pumped into the air, measures will
be taken to increase the amount of grass and trees in cities.
The plan also requires that environmental monitoring systems be
established and information about air quality be published
periodically.
(China Daily November 28, 2002)