Launching a Long-term Battle to Improve Air Quality: China's Extraordinary Achievements in Air Pollution Improvement

(Agence France-Presse Beijing, 17th) Fifteen years ago, winter along the Liangma River in Beijing was often shrouded in smog, with few pedestrians. Today, however, it is common to see people walking in the mornings and retirees exercising by the river. This transformation stems from China's years of state-driven air quality improvement efforts, including relocating factories and promoting vehicle electrification, in hopes of addressing air pollution issues. Although many Chinese cities still have pollution indicators above World Health Organization (WHO) standards, the level of pollution has significantly decreased since the past "airpocalypse" period. Eighty-three-year-old Ms. Zhao, while sunbathing by the river with friends, said, "The situation was really bad before; I wouldn't go out whenever there was smog." "But now the air is very fresh." According to data from the Beijing municipal government this January, the concentration of PM2.5 particulate matter, which can penetrate human lungs and blood, has decreased by 69.8% since 2013. The Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) from the University of Chicago indicates that from 2014 to the present, particulate pollution across China has decreased by 41%, and the average life expectancy has increased by 1.8 years. China's rapid economic development and extensive coal burning had led to a sharp deterioration in air quality in the 2000s, with winter low temperatures making it difficult for pollutants to disperse. Early governance measures included installing desulfurization equipment for coal-fired power plants and temporarily halting factory operations and implementing traffic controls for the 2008 Olympics, which briefly improved air quality. However, these effects were short-lived, and the problems later worsened. With the public awareness rising due to factors like the U.S. Embassy in Beijing publicly monitoring data, public consciousness began to elevate. By 2013, several international schools had set up large inflatable domes outside their sports facilities to protect students from air pollution. That year, many cities in China experienced prolonged periods of smog, with a wave of smog in October paralyzing the northeastern city of Harbin for several days, where PM2.5 levels reached 40 times the standards recommended by the WHO at the time. Later that year, an 8-year-old child became the youngest lung cancer patient in the country, with doctors directly attributing the cause to air pollution. As public concerns grew, the ruling Chinese Communist Party announced ten action plans, declaring a "war on pollution." This initiative led to an expansion of monitoring, upgrades in factory technology, and the closure or relocation of coal-fired power plants and mines. Major cities also implemented vehicle restrictions and paved the way for full electrification. A study in 2016 indicated that China set clear deadlines for air quality improvement quantitative targets for key areas for the first time. Zhang Hongxing, director of the Secretariat of the Zhongguancun Chuanglan Clean Air Industry Alliance (BCAA), which collaborated with the government to promote the plan, stated that these targets were "the most important measures." The policy targeted several key areas, where local PM2.5 concentrations rapidly decreased between 2013 and 2017, and this approach was subsequently promoted nationwide. He told Agence France-Presse, "At that time, there was a lot of external discussion questioning whether we could meet the targets, as it was indeed ambitious. I think now everyone would agree that the achievements China has made are nothing short of miraculous." AQLI pointed out last summer that since 2014, the global pollution index has declined, "entirely due to" China's success