BEIJING, Dec. 8, 2021 (Xinhua) — Beijing will basically see no heavy pollution days by 2025, with other environmental quality indicators to be steadily improved, said an ecological environment protection plan released on Wednesday.
The capital will strive to keep the average PM2.5 concentration within 35 micrograms per cubic meter by 2025, according to the Ecological and Environmental Protection Plan for Beijing (2021-2025).
The plan emphasizes a holistic approach to protecting and restoring mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, and grasslands, with carbon reduction given strategic priority.
Beijing will also promote pollution control, ecological protection and the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development during the five-year period, said Liu Xianshu, deputy director of Beijing Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau.
The plan forecasts that the ecological environment will be fundamentally improved and the supply of high-quality ecological products will be more sufficient in Beijing by 2035.
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Beijing reports lowest monthly reading for PM2.5 since records began
It was recently reported that in May 2021 Beijing recorded the lowest monthly reading since records began in 2013.
Due to favorable meteorological conditions, the city’s average concentration of PM2.5 in May stood at 20 micrograms per cubic meter, which was also the best level in 28 cities including Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei as well as their neighboring regions, the Beijing Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau said on Thursday.
Beijing also reported record low levels of other major pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide, PM10 and nitrogen dioxide in May. Beijing saw 23 good days, about 74.2 percent, in May, the best record so far. PM2.5, which refers to airborne particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, poses serious health risks.
The city has taken a series of measures to further improve its air quality, including promoting new-energy vehicles, dust control at construction sites and pollutant-emission reductions to tackle ozone pollution during the summer months.