Latest media reports in China said on May 28, 2013, that a national plan for the control of air pollution might be outlined during this week. The new plan will be targeting the reduction of air pollution on a national scale, by establishing clear standards of air quality in different regions.
Focus will be made on strict control of coal plants, motor vehicles and dust which produce fine particulate matter. According to several sources, outline of the plan has been initiated by the Ministry of Environmental Protection. The whole plan has already undergone many revisions and will soon be submitted to the State Council, China’s cabinet, for review by the end of May 2013.
The plan has also suggested some specific measures, including stipulating the declining rates of atmospheric pollutants like the PM2.5, which are particles smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide in cities and the reduction of coal consumption in the country. About one million heavy-polluting vehicles, also known as the ‘yellow label cars’ will be prohibited from driving on the roads in Beijing.
Beijing and the Hebei province are expected to reduce half of the PM2.5 by vehicle emissions alone. The outline has also predicted that the air quality should make a substantial progress in the upcoming five years.
