Beijing wins global award for air quality improvement

[beijingwalker]

Beijing wins global award for air quality improvement​

October 27, 2022

In the recent C40 World Mayors Summit, Beijing won the Cleaning the Air We Breathe award for its efforts to phase out coal in the city's heating system. The summit was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina by C40 Cities, a network of mayors of nearly 100 world-leading cities to combat climate crisis. Beijing was the only city in China to receive the award this year.

The award was presented to Beijing to recognize its exceptional leadership in tackling the challenge of air pollution, by successfully reducing emissions, improving air quality, and safeguarding public health.

Data shows that Beijing's average concentration of PM2.5 pollutants was 33 micrograms per cubic meter in 2021, dropping by 63.1% from 2013 levels. The city's average density of PM2.5 by Oct. 18 this year was 29 micrograms per cubic meter. Blue skies have become the norm in Beijing.

The improvement in air quality has been attributed to phasing out coal in its heating system. As a city with the largest area supported by a heating system in northern China, Beijing used to rely on coal-fired heating, which was the second largest source of PM2.5, according to a person in charge of the municipal ecology and environment bureau. In 2016, the city launched two campaigns to phase out coal in its heating system and supported more than 1.3 million homes and 6,300 boilers to shift away from coal-fired heating to clean alternatives.

As the city's energy structure improved, Beijing has reduced more than 10 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emission annually, with carbon density of 0.33 metric tons per 10,000-yuan GDP, the lowest nationwide.
In recent years, Beijing has actively engaged in global climate change governance, presented its achievements in green development, combating climate change and biodiversity protection, and shared its experience in urban governance through multilateral platforms.

Beijing's successful efforts provide a model for other cities to follow, according to "A Review of 20 years' Air Pollution Control in Beijing," a report issued by the United Nations Environment Programme in 2019.

http://www.china.org.cn/china/2022-10/27/content_78488914.htm

 

[Sulman Badshah]

Pakistani cities are getting worse day by day , specially from oct to dec

 

[Luosifen]

Pakistani cities are getting worse day by day , specially from oct to dec

What is the cause? Farmers burning leftover fields?

 

[Sulman Badshah]

What is the cause? Farmers burning leftover fields?

1. farmer burning fields
2. lack of regular rain in these months
3. plastic burning
4. no recycling of junk
5. old techniques of making bricks
6. high carbon emission vehicles
7. older manufacturing techniques speciallly in iron and steel sector
8. not enough regulations

 

[beijingwalker]

China is the world runaway leader for clean energy for a reason.

 

[beijingwalker]

China has reduced air pollution nearly as much in seven years as the US did in three decades

China Reduced Air Pollution in 7 Years as Much as US Did in Three Decades

China has reduced air pollution nearly as much in seven years as the US did in three decades, helping to bring down average global smog levels in the process.

www.bloomberg.com

China's Clean Air Campaign Is Bringing Down Global Pollution​

China's Clean Air Campaign Is Bringing Down Global Pollution

China has reduced air pollution nearly as much in seven years as the US did in three decades, helping to bring down average global smog levels in the process.

financialpost.com

 

[beijingwalker]

Beijing is safe, clean and beautiful during the autumn season​

 

[beijingwalker]

China becomes nation with the fastest progress in air quality improvement
Published: Oct 21, 2022 06:17 PM

China becomes nation with the fastest progress in air quality improvement
Published: Oct 21, 2022 06:17 PM

China's ecological and environmental protection has seen sweeping, historic and transformative changes. It has become the nation with the fastest progress in air quality improvement in the past decade, Zhai Qing, vice minister of ecology and environment, said during a press conference held on Friday on the sidelines of the ongoing 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

The concept that clean water and green mountains are just as valuable as gold and silver has taken roots in people's hearts, leading to China's great achievements in energy conservation, carbon reduction and emissions cut, according to Zhai.

In the past decade, "China has managed to support an annual economic growth of 6.6 percent on average, with a yearly increase of 3 percent in energy consumption," Zhai said.

Major cities across China have seen their average PM2.5 concentration dropping to 30 micrograms per cubic meter in 2021, from 46 micrograms per cubic meter in 2015. China has become the nation with the fastest progress in air quality improvement, according to Zhai.

And 84.9 percent of the country's surface water reached Grade III quality or above in 2021, which has become very close to the levels seen in developed countries, he noted.

China has made unprecedented achievements in Beautiful China Initiative. China has made building a more beautiful country as one of the objectives for building a great modern socialist country. Meanwhile, China has strengthened ecological and environmental protection in an all-round way.

In 2021, the average concentration of PM2.5 in cities at the prefecture level and above decreased by 34.8 percent from 2015, and days with good air quality reached 87.5 percent, Zhai said.

Zhao also said that China has completely banned "foreign garbage" imports and has realized the goal of zero imports of solid waste.

China has solved a large number of prominent ecological and environmental problems affecting people's lives in the past decade. Besides pollution control, 300 species of rare and endangered wild animals and plants have recovered their populations in biodiversity protection achievement.

China's carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP in 2021 decreased by 34.4 percent from the 2012 level, and the share of coal use in its primary energy consumption accounted for 56 percent in 2021, compared with 68.5 percent in 2012, according to Zhai.

Zhai noted that China has outpaced other countries in terms of renewable energy development and the production and sales of new-energy vehicles.

China becomes nation with the fastest progress in air quality improvement: official - Global Times

www.globaltimes.cn

 

[beijingwalker]

'Air Worse Than Beijing' Isn't Much of an Insult Anymore

China's progress in reducing pollution in its capital city justifies a little environmental optimism, if only the world would catch up.

www.bloomberg.com

 

[beijingwalker]

Under blue sky: 'Beijing miracle' of air pollution control​

2022-10-09 16:46:48

Do you still remember the smoggy days ten years ago? Now they have gone.

According to the 2021 Beijing Ecology and Environment Statement released on May 11, 2022, the ecological environment continued to improve in the city, with its air quality meeting standards for the first time in 2021.

It was achieved by more than a decade of efforts. The average annual PM2.5 density was 33μg/m3(microgram per cubic meter) in 2021, down 63.1% from 89.5μg/m3in 2013. The average annual density of PM10, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide have also met the national secondary standards.

There were 288 days with good air quality in Beijing in 2021, accounting for 78.9% of the whole year and increasing by 112 days over 2013. Citizens enjoyed more days with blue skies and white clouds.

Since the 18th CPCNational Congress, Beijing has given priority to energy conservation and efficiency to accelerate the construction of an ecological civilization and green Beijing. It has vigorously promoted high-tech industries with low resource consumption and pollution emission. Such strong measures have enabled the capital to achieve a green and low-carbon blueprint.

From being plagued by smog to having more blue skies, Beijing has made great strides in pollution prevention. Its ecological environment and air quality continue to improve, which was hailed by the United Nations Environment Programme as "Beijing Miracle."

(100 great changes) Under blue sky: 'Beijing miracle' of air pollution control

www.ecns.cn

 

[beijingwalker]

 

[Beidou2020]

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We don’t need CNN’s approval or validation.

 

[beijingwalker]

 

[TopGun786]

1. farmer burning fields
2. lack of regular rain in these months
3. plastic burning
4. no recycling of junk
5. old techniques of making bricks
6. high carbon emission vehicles
7. older manufacturing techniques speciallly in iron and steel sector
8. not enough regulations

And most of all, no new tree planting. Whatever tree cover was there it almost vanished from big cities as well as from other parts of the country.

 

[beijingwalker]

Taiwan TV: Beijing blue sky everyday, PM2.5 falls to record low in 2022

BEIJING -- Beijing's average concentration of PM2.5 fell to 30 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022, 66.5 percent lower than that in 2013 when the city first included PM2.5 readings in its focus on air pollution monitoring and control, said the municipal ecology and environment bureau on Wednesday.

PM2.5 readings are a gauge monitoring airborne particles of 2.5 microns or below in diameter.

In 2022, the average annual atmospheric concentrations of PM10, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide in Beijing were 54 micrograms per cubic meter, 23 micrograms per cubic meter, and three micrograms per cubic meter, respectively, all maintaining a downward trend.

Such readings also indicated the continuously improving air quality of the Chinese capital, said Liu Baoxian, director of the municipal ecological environment monitoring center.

A total of 286 days with good air quality were logged in Beijing in 2022. Last year, Beijing had 138 days with excellent air quality graded as Class I, 24 more such days when compared with 2021.