Trees and grass are expected to cover 38.2 percent of Shanghai by 2011, almost doubling the area seen in 1999, Shanghai Daily reported on Thursday.

The city will spend 82 billion yuan (US$12 billion) on 260 projects, the paper quoted city mayor Han Zheng’s saying.

According to the fourth Three-Year Environmental Protection Action Plan between 2009 and 2011, it will focus on pollution source control, including treating vehicle emissions, as well as noise pollution and dirt from construction sites.

According to the new plan, all buses and taxis operating in downtown areas must meet the National III emission standard or higher before the 2010 Shanghai World Expo starts.

(Xinhua News Agency February 26, 2009)