(ECNS) – Beijing fell short of achieving its PM2.5 reduction goal three years after it began implementing a national Action Plan on Air Pollution Prevention and Control, according to a midterm review by the Chinese Academy of Engineering released on Tuesday.
Beijing cut its annual PM2.5 concentration from an average of 89.5 micrograms per cubic meter in 2013 to 80.6 in 2015, about a 33 percent reduction. Therefore, a tough job remains ahead for the city to attain its 2017 goal of lowering the figure to 60.
In order to meet the target, Beijing has to take measures to ensure an annual reduction of PM2.5 by 10 micrograms per cubic meter in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
Forecasts and alerts, alongside corresponding measures, would help Beijing reduce PM2.5 concentration during heavy pollution days, the report said.
The city should take a variety of measures, including collaboration with surrounding areas to fulfill the task, it was added.
Starting from last December, the engineering academy organized more than 50 academicians and experts to make a comprehensive midterm review of the implementation of the action plan.
While the report showed that most of the 338 Chinese cities saw a drop in the number of heavy pollution days – 67.4 percent of which occurred in winter —Beijing and its neighbors Tianjin and Hebei registered 44.1 percent of the country's heavy pollution days, said Hao Jiming, a professor of environmental sciences at Tsinghua University.
Attributing heavy pollution to unfavorable weather conditions and the emission of pollutants, the report warned that emergency measures could only help ease heavy pollution, but fundamental solutions to the problem lie in a significant reduction in airborne pollutants.
