Searching for Blue Skies

by Zi Mo

Air is indispensable resource for all life on this planet. An adult breathes approximately 10，000 liters of air each day， and its quality is intrinsically tied to human health. After three decades of industrialization and economic development at an unprecedented pace， air quality has become a major concern for Chinese people.

On September 12， 2013， the State Council of China unveiled its Atmospheric Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan， which is considered the countrys strictest-ever policy on air pollution. Almost simultaneously， Beijing issued the Clean Air Action Plan for 2013-2017. According to Yu Jianhua， director of the Atmospheric Department of the citys Environmental Protection Bureau， Beijings plan is even stricter than the State Councils in terms of reducing petroleum pollutants， filtering high-polluting and high energy-consuming enterprises， and eliminating coal consumption.

Smog City

Most Beijingers remember the severe smog event early this year like it was yesterday. Some even worry that Beijing is becoming another perpetually fog-draped city， just as London was in the early 20th Century.

The latest report released by the Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection shows that in the first half of 2013， the ratio of days of air quality equal to or above grade II was 38.9 percent in Beijing， and PM2.5 particles have been the biggest threat to the citys air quality. Zhuang Zhidong， vice director of the Environmental Protection Bureau of Beijing， reveals that nearly 60 percent of indigenous PM2.5 pollutants come from the consumption of fossil fuels， including coal， petrol， and exhaust.

Currently， Beijings population of permanent residents has passed 20 million and its motor vehicles number greater than 5.3 million. The city consumes 23 million tons of coal and 6.3 million tons of gasoline and diesel fuel annually. These numbers illuminate the major causes of the citys “impressive” PM2.5 emissions. Airborne pollution has exceeded the bearing capacity of the local environment， which is considered the primary reason for the frequently smoggy weather of Beijing.

“The situation is already grim，” warns Chinese Vice Minister of Environmental Protection Wu Xiaoqing. “Air pollution has grown into a severe problem as China industrialized in only two decades； the industrialization of Western countries took about a century.”

Yearning for Blue Skies

To fulfill its commitment to host a“green Olympics，” Beijing launched a campaign titled “Blue Sky Plan，” aiming to improve the citys air quality and recover blue skies. Benefiting from the campaign， the air welcoming global visitors to the 2008 Olympics was tremendously improved. Along with continuous urban expansion， however， atmospheric pollution is becoming a severe problem.

One specific goal of Beijings Clean Air Action Plan is to reduce the concentration of fine particles （PM2.5） by 25 percent within the next five years， reaching an average level of 60 micrograms per cubic meter.

The key to airborne pollution control is to reduce emissions. Statistics from Beijings environmental authorities show that automobile exhaust contributes 22.5 percent of the citys PM2.5 pollution， coal consumption 16.7 percent， and rogue dust from construction sites 16 percent. According to the Clean Air Action Plan， by 2017， the city will reduce its annual coal consumption from 23 million tons to 10 million tons. Through utilizing clean energy， Beijing will completely eliminate coal consumption in its core city proper by 2015. Moreover， it will reduce auto emissions through taking measures to control the population of vehicles， upgrade petroleum standards， encourage clean-energy vehicles， and improve public transportation.

However， a single citys efforts are far from enough to solve this massive problem. It is estimated that 24.5 percent of Beijings PM2.5 pollutants hail from neighboring provinces and municipalities such as Hebei and Tianjin. Over the past decade， a number of heavily-polluting enterprises left Beijing for nearby regions. “Although the enterprises left， their pollutants are still finding their way back to the city through the air，”explains He Xiaoxia， president of the nongovernmental environmental organization Green Beagle Institute. “No one is immune to environmental contamination.” For this reason， Beijings action plan also stresses the importance of building a joint responding mechanism between Beijing and its neighbors to tackle severe airborne pollution.

Everyone pollutes to some extent， so no one can claim to be purely a victim. Along with efforts from the government and enterprises， the issue requires participation from people from all walks of life. Everyone needs to play their part by following green， energy-conserving lifestyles， such as driving less.

It remains uncertain how much Beijings Clean Air Action Plan will revive blue skies， but any effort is better than nothing. As Chinese Minister of Environmental Protection Zhou Shengxian commented， “Chinas atmospheric pollution problem is a result of the countrys longterm extensive growth. It is like stirring soup to stop its boiling if we relieve environmental pressure through end-of-pipe controls rather than adjusting the core economic structure.”