Report: China prioritizes economy over air quality goals, falls short of targets

Half of the Chinese cities targeted by the government for air quality improvements have failed to meet their targets, a recent study by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) has revealed. The research found that China prioritized economic growth over cutting pollutants, leading to a lack of enforcement of the winter air quality plan in 2022.

The winter air quality plan, typically released every autumn, aims to combat the increase in pollutants during the winter months due to coal heating and atmospheric conditions. However, the plan was not enforced in 2022 and was only reintroduced halfway through the 2023-2024 winter season.

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, known as PM2.5. Additionally, in the first quarter of 2024, 41% of the cities exceeded the limits set by the plan.

The report also highlighted that PM2.5 levels increased by 4.7% year-on-year in the 2022-2023 winter season and only decreased by 1.6% in the following winter season. While there were decreases in cement and coal production emissions in the first quarter of 2024, increases in coal-fired power, non-ferrous metals, and petrochemicals offset some of those benefits.

Overall, the study found that weather changes played a significant role in pollution improvements, with atmospheric conditions such as rainfall, air temperature, pressure, and wind affecting pollution levels. Despite China’s efforts, the country’s air quality goals fall below the targets recommended by the World Health Organization. However, meeting these goals could prevent up to 180,000 pollution-related deaths by 2025.