Beijing to cut PM2.5 density by 15% annually

Beijing will reduce the concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5), a major gauge of air pollution, by 15 percent annually in the next five years, according to Beijing Youth Daily.

At a conference held by the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Nov. 24 and 25, the Party committee proposed that the city should reduce its annual PM2.5 density by 15 percent during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020). It suggested that the municipal government take measures to tackle pollution sources, decommission all highly polluting cars and promote the use of new-energy cars.

To improve air quality, the municipal government has already decided to concentrate on the southern areas, which are generally seen as a major source of air pollution, in the next three years. A 30-billion-yuan (US$4.69 billion) special fund, contributed by the government, enterprises and the public, will be established to address air pollution in the southern part.

Additionally, Beijing is mulling over the sixth stage of its vehicle emission standard (Beijing VI Standard), known as the "world's strictest vehicle emission standard." The standard still under review is set to be implemented in 2017, according to Li Kunsheng, head of the Emission Control Department of the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau.

Beijing has made considerable headway in air quality improvement. In the first 10 months this year, Beijing's average PM2.5 density registered 69.7 microgram/cubic meter, dropping 21.8 percent compared with last year.

The notable reduction was mainly attributed to the city's hard pollution control efforts, including the removal of roughly 313,000 highly-polluting vehicles off the road in the first 10 months this year, and the reduction of the annual coal consumption from 17.6 million tons to less than 13 million tons.