The Chinese government has released its toughest plan so far to combat air pollution, in an effort to ease mounting public concern over air quality.
The plan promises that in five years, concentration of hazardous particles, including PM 2.5, a key air quality indicator, will drop by ten percent in all cities compared with 2012. For more-developed areas, such as Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the target is a 25 percent reduction.
The goals for the eastern Yangtze River Delta and southern Pearl River Delta are 20 percent and 15 percent respectively. To make that happen, the plan pledges to scale down coal’s proportion in energy consumption to 65 percent by 2017.
It also encourages the use of cleaner alternatives including gas and hydro-power.