At War With Pollution

　　Beijing was again enveloped in heavy smog afterjust a one-week respite from the last bout of suffocatingweather， when this year’s full session of the National Committeeof the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference(CPPCC)， China’s top political advisory body， began inBeijing on March 3.， the city was again enveloped in heavysmog after just a one-week respite from the last bout ofsuffocating weather.

　　Dense haze shrouded an area of 1.43 million square km，surrounding the cities of Beijing and Tianjin， as well as theneighboring Hebei Province from February 20 to 26. Thepollution was so severe that on February 21， the Beijing MunicipalGovernment， for the first time ever， issued an orangealert， the second highest in its four-level warning system forair pollution. The smog dissipated on February 27 due tofavorable weather conditions.

　　In recent years， Beijing has found itself chronicallyplagued by recurring smog.

　　“We must wage a war against pollution， just as withthe war against poverty，” said Premier Li Keqiang whendelivering the government work report to lawmakers at theopening of the Second Session of the 12th National People’sCongress (NPC) on March 5.

　　Li admitted that increasing smog and salient pollutionare warnings from nature regarding the extensive growthmodel. He said that China must strengthen environmentalprotection and be determined to crack down on pollutionwith tough tactics.

　　According to Li， a focus should be put on mega cities andregions frequently hit by smog. “We will start by reducing PM10 (particulate matter less than 10 micrometers in diameter)and PM 2.5 (fine particles less than 2.5 micrometers indiameter)，” he said， citing key measures such as improvingthe industrial structure， raising energy efficiency， reducingvehicle exhaust emissions and preventing and monitoringwind-borne dust.

　　Concerted efforts

　　“Smog must be tackled through coordinated efforts， aspollutants are transferred across regions by winds. Measurestaken on by a single city will not achieve the desired result，”Yu Rucong， a CPPCC National Committee member anddeputy head of the China Meteorological Administration，told ChinAfrica “For example， air pollutants from thecoal-rich Shanxi Province can be easily carried to Beijing bysouthwestern winds， causing serious pollution around thecapital city.”

　　“The China Meteorological Administration has establisheda smog monitoring network， which takes air visibility，moisture and PM 2.5 concentration into account，” Yu said.In September 2013， the State Council， China’s cabinet，released an action plan for air pollution prevention and control，which requires smog-prone regions surrounding Beijing，the Yangtze River Delta area in east China and the PearlRiver Delta area in the south to take coordinated actionsagainst heavy pollution.

　　Gao Yubao， another CPPCC National Committeemember and President of Tianjin Normal University， calls forthe establishment of a state-level mechanism to conductregional consultations on environmental impact evaluations，launch crackdowns on environmental offenses， aswell as coordinate information sharing， early warning andemergency response systems for severe pollution. He saidthat cross-regional emergency drills and training should beconducted regularly.

　　Upgrading fuel quality

　　“Although the specific causes of smog are still being disputed，the general consensus is that vehicle emissions is amajor source of air pollution，” Li Can， an academician withthe Chinese Academy of Sciences， told ChinAfrica.

　　Li Can， also a CPPCC National Committee member， saidthat real-time data shows that PM 2.5 levels in downtownareas are remarkably higher than that in suburban areas.“Using low-sulfur fuel products can effectively reduce toxicsubstances in vehicle exhaust fumes， so the governmentshould gradually raise fuel quality standards and demand oilcompanies use cutting-edge technologies to produce lowsulfurgas and diesel.”

　　In the government work report， Premier Li said that in2014， 6 million old high-emission vehicles will be removedfrom the roads， and diesel meeting the National IV EmissionStandard， which requires the maximum sulfur contentto be no more than 50 parts per million (ppm)， will be suppliedacross the country.

　　Diesel-burning vehicles are responsible for 70 percentof the total nitrate oxide emissions and more than 90percent of total particulate matter emissions from automobilesin China， according to Xu Guanju， Chairman of theprivate Transfar Group in east China’s Zhejiang Province.

　　Xu， also a CPPCC National Committee member， saidthat more attention should be paid to truck emissions intackling air pollution.

　　Data from the Ministry of Environmental Protectionshow that total nitrate oxide and particulate matter emittedby trucks， especially heavy duty vehicles， are apparentlyhigher than that emitted by cars， Xu told ChinAfrica.China has about 11 million trucks in operation. Xu saidthat stricter exhaust standards should be imposed on themand their operation efficiency should be improved.

　　Adjusting energy structure

　　In his government work report， Premier Li said that thisyear， China will cut its energy intensity by more than3.9 percent， along with reductions in sulfur dioxide andchemical oxygen demand by 2 percent. He also pledgedto increase the share of electricity from non-fossil fuels，develop smart grids， promote balanced distribution ofenergy resources， encourage the development of windand solar power， as well as start construction of a numberof hydropower and nuclear power projects.

　　Liu Zhenya， Board Chairman of the State Grid Corp.，calls for speeding up the replacement of coal with electricityfor household heating and industrial production， andvigorously promoting the use of electric vehicles as well astrack traffic.

　　“Surplus electricity in China’s western and northernregions could be transmitted to its eastern and centralregions through ultra-high-voltage power grids，” said Liu，also a CPPCC National Committee member.

　　“A major cause of China’s environmental deterioration isinefficient use of resources，” said Jia Kang， a CPPCC memberand Director of the Research Institute for Fiscal Scienceunder the Ministry of Finance.

　　Jia suggests pushing ahead with reform on the resourcetax， which should be made an ad valorem tax that coversmajor energy sources including coal. He said that in thisway， businesses and the general public will be motivatedto cut energy consumption out of their own economicinterests.

　　Improving legislation

　　In their separate interviews with ChinAfrica， several CPPCCNational Committee members unanimously urged theimprovement of laws and regulations concerning air pollution.Sun Taili， Board Chairman of Tianjin-based QingdaGroup， said that China’s Air Pollution Prevention andControl Law， which took effect in December 1989， has notbeen amended since 2000. “The law mainly addressespollutants from coal combustion such as sulfur dioxide anddust， but not yet PM 2.5，” he said. “It is imperative to amendthe law.”

　　While the law should tackle such types of pollutants asphotochemicals and PM 2.5， it should include regional jointprevention and control measures and industrial restructuringas well， said Liu Bingjiang， Director General of theDepartment of Total Pollutants Control under the Ministryof Environmental Protection.

　　“Improving laws concerning environmental protectionis very important and controlling pollution according tolaw should be a focus in the future，” said Vice Minister ofEnvironmental Protection Wu Xiaoqing at a press conferenceon March 8.

　　Amending the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Lawwas listed on the NPC’s legislative plan in 2011. The draftamendment was deliberated by the NPC Standing Committeefor the first time in August 2012， and for the secondand third time in June and October last year. Wu said thatthe draft is currently being amended.

　　“The new environmental protection law is expectedto be enacted later this year. The sooner， the better，” Wusaid.

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