China orders winter emissions cuts, with tougher targets for cities that failed last year

PM2.5 levels must be reduced by average of 4 per cent in northern cities as part of ongoing anti-smog drive

More than 5 million homes in specified cities will switch from coal to gas or electric heating by the end of October, Beijing says

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China’s anti-emissions measures are aimed at alleviating the smog that envelops its cities, especially in winter when homes and businesses turn up the heating. Photo: Reuters

Published: 1:20pm, 16 Oct 2019Updated: 9:01pm, 16 Oct 2019

China’s northern cities will be required to cut emissions of dangerous PM2.5 particles by an average of 4 per cent this winter, according to a document issued by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment on Wednesday outlining its annual anti-pollution plan for winter.

The target for average concentration of PM2.5 – lung-damaging particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns – applies to a group of 26 smog-prone cities in the north and the municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin.

But the mandated reduction is lower than the 5.5 per cent cut proposed in an earlier draft of the plan circulated on industry websites last month.

The plan comes as China enters its sixth year of an aggressive clampdown on pollution in a bid to cut smog that envelops many cities during the winter months, when homes and businesses crank up heating.

As part of China’s efforts to put an end to what it calls “one-size-fits-all” anti-pollution measures, cities that performed well in last year’s campaign received preferential treatment. Capital Beijing, for instance, is not required to make any cut from the previous year’s PM2.5 levels, while Tianjin is only required to cut PM2.5 by 1 per cent.