Greenpeace says China is winning battle against pollution in big cities but other areas falling behind
Campaign group says last year saw small improvements overall despite drop in Beijing smog levels and warns of rising risk from ozone pollution
Although air pollution in Beijing, Tianjin and more than two dozen surrounding cities dropped dramatically in the fourth quarter of last year amid a government crackdown on foul air, the country saw only a small improvement in air quality for all of 2017, according to a Greenpeace report.
The environmental watchdog also urged China to be concerned about rising ozone pollution which has emerged as a major health risk in cities, potentially causing deaths from strokes and heart disease.
“China’s national air pollution action plan has brought massive reductions in pollution levels and associated health risks, but policies favouring coal and heavy industry are holding back progress,” Huang Wei, Greenpeace’s East Asia climate and energy campaigner, said.
“Nationwide, 2017 saw the slowest air quality improvement on record,” she said.
Levels of toxic PM2.5 – small, breathable particles that pose a risk to people’s health – in Beijing, Tianjin and 26 surrounding cities dropped by 33.1 per cent year on year in the final three months of last year as the government shut down factories and dispatched inspectors to enforce environmental targets, Greenpeace found.