Smog in northern China rises in first four months of 2019 as anti-pollution drive loses ‘momentum’
- Environment ministry says clean air efforts will not be relaxed
- Greenpeace says local authorities did away with restrictions on industry
Air pollution rose in major regions of northern China the first four months of the year, the environment ministry said on Friday, stoking fears that smog curbs on industry had been eased to help the slowing economy.
China is in the fifth year of a war on pollution aimed at allaying public unrest about the state of the country’s skies, rivers and soil by raising industrial standards, cutting coal consumption and improving enforcement of environmental laws.
However, pollution readings in the smog-prone northern Chinese region consisting of the province of Hebei and the cities of Beijing and Tianjin rose by 8 per cent from January to April, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said.
The readings assessed the amount of airborne particulate matter measuring less than 2.5 microns, known as PM2.5, which is considered one of the most dangerous pollutants because it can penetrate deep into the lungs and cause respiratory illnesses.
For the Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei region, PM2.5 readings were an average of 81 micrograms per cubic metre in the first four months of the year, the ministry said.
A neighbouring region known as the Fenwei Plain, home to some of China’s most polluted cities, recorded a PM2.5 rise of 7.8 per cent to 83 micrograms over the four months.
Don’t bend the rules for steel industry
In 337 cities monitored nationwide, PM2.5 remained unchanged over the first four months, reaching an average of 49 micrograms per cubic metre. China’s official standard is 35 micrograms per cubic metre.
Environmental officials have been at pains to show that efforts to reduce pollution will not be relaxed this year, even though economic growth fell to its slowest rate since 1990.
However, Environment Minister Li Ganjie said some regions had lost “momentum” when it came to curbing smog.
Some local governments have blamed the weather for the increase in smog between late last year and early this year.
But Lauri Myllyvirta, a senior analyst with environmental group Greenpeace, said pollution in Beijing and surrounding regions had rebounded largely as a result of the relaxation of industrial output restrictions and a 60 million tonne surge in coal consumption over the 2018-19 winter.
“Predictably, local governments did away with restrictions on industrial operation that had squeezed output and emissions in 2017-18,” Myllyvirta said, noting that steel, cement, non-ferrous metals and thermal power production all increased last winter after falling a year earlier.
