Stop blame game on China's air pollution, environment minister says
Stop blaming each other for pollution, ministry tell mainland cities; watchdog says clearing air requires a coordinated regional effort
Mainland cities should stop blaming each other for air pollution and shoulder their own responsibilities, the environment ministry said yesterday.
Some cities suffering bad air quality were too quick to highlight the influence of neighbours when analysing the source of pollution, said deputy environmental minister Zhai Qing.
"Mutual influence does exist, and is relatively serious in some places.
"But at this stage, cities must not overstress the influence of others and pass the buck. If it is emphasised too much, it will affect our strict implementation of countermeasures," Zhai said.
In a bid to find solutions to the country's smog problem, authorities have ordered 35 major cities and municipalities to release detailed analyses of sources of PM2.5 by the end of the year. PM2.5 are superfine particles which lodge deep inside lungs and are considered the most dangerous to human health.
Beijing's environmental protection department published a report last June that found 28 to 36 per cent of the capital's PM2.5 particles came from neighbouring areas. Last month Shanghai released a similar report, which found that 16 to 36 per cent of the city's air pollutants came from surrounding areas.