China expands battle against pollution to its top coal producing province
Environment ministry will release a three-year action plan to meet air pollution reduction targets by 2020
China will expand efforts to combat its notorious smog problem from Beijing and Shanghai and surrounds to the northwestern provinces of Shanxi and Shaanxi, the environment minister said.
It will also release a three-year action plan to meet air pollution reduction targets by 2020, Minister of Environmental Protection Li Ganjie said at a two-day annual conference that ended on Saturday.
“Winning the blue-sky battle is high on the agenda, and it will improve people’s happiness,” Li was quoted as saying in a statement on the ministry’s website.
“A key indicator of pollution control is the significant reduction of emissions of major pollutants, but also the overall improvement of the environment and the substantial improvement of green development,” Li said.
At present, the air quality target for cities at the prefecture level and above is to see more “good air” days – 292 of them, or 80 per cent of the year – by 2020.