China names and shames cities for failing to tackle smog
Several cities in the north censured for failing to take tough enough action to combat air pollution
China’s environment ministry has named and shamed several cities in the north of the country for not doing enough to cope with smog, the state news agency Xinhua reported.
Large parts of northern China have been blanketed in choking smog this winter, defying repeated government efforts to tackle the problem.
Pollution alerts are common in northern China, especially during bitterly cold winters when energy demand, much of it met by coal, soars.
The ministry’s inspection of 18 cities in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province found several problems in their smog response, including inadequate planning and poor implementation of policies, Xinhua said late on Sunday.
Hebei’s Cangzhou city was criticised for failing to draw up a detailed list for business shutdowns on heavily polluted days, which made it hard to achieve a reduction in emissions, the report said.