A new study by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) has shed light on China’s struggle to improve air quality. According to the research, half of the cities targeted by the government for air quality improvements failed to meet their targets in 2022, as the country prioritized economic growth over reducing pollutants. This is despite China releasing a winter air quality plan every autumn to address the increase in pollution during the winter months.
The study found that in the fourth quarter of 2023, half of the cities targeted by the December air quality action plan failed to reduce concentrations of hazardous particles (PM2.5), while in the first quarter of 2024, only 41% of cities surpassed the limits. PM2.5 levels increased by 4.7% year-on-year in the 2022-2023 winter season and only dropped by 1.6% in the 203-204 winter season.
The State Council’s December 2023 plan aimed to reduce coal consumption in regions like Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the Yangtze River Delta, and Shanxi and Shaanxi in northern China. While reductions in cement and coal production did decrease emissions in the first quarter of 2024, increases in coal-fired power, non-ferrous metals, and petrochemicals offset some of those benefits. Industrial emissions account for about 6