Beijing to Use Cleaner Energy to Ease Pollution

Authorities in Beijing are planning to use cleaner petroleum and diesel to power its five million vehicles in the first half of next year in a bid to reduce pollution.

The Beijing municipal environmental protection bureau is seeking public feedback on the plan that will reduce sulfur

Research showed the cleaner energy will also help to cut nitride oxide, a major pollutant in vehicle emissions by up to 10 percent, to help lower the PM 2.5 reading of microscopic airborne particles, the bureau said in a press release.

There is growing public discontent over bad air quality as the Chinese capital is often shrouded in heavy smog for days.

The discontent was also fueled by discrepancies between the official data and the US Embassy's measurements, after an incident where the US Embassy in Beijing rated the air as "hazardous," while the city's environmental protection bureau said the pollution was "slight."

Many urge the government to release data on the tighter PM 2.5 reading of airborne particles under 2.5 micrometers in size that are considered more hazardous to people's health as they can penetrate deeper into the lungs.