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中国与空气污染斗争了十年，在过去的几年里，空气质量有了很大的改善。2021年3月，北京经历了14天的重度污染，PM2.5的浓度增加了40%。北京周边更广泛的地区，空气质量良好的天数也减少了8%。4月，沙尘暴进一步恶化了空气质量。
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中国已经实施了减少排放的政策工具，包括明确的减排目标，由当时的总理李克强宣布的 “向污染宣战”，以及为期三年的减排运动。这场大流行也有助于加速中国实现其空气质量目标的进展。
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然而，经济复苏正导致雾霾和为追求经济增长而违反法规的情况再次出现。2021-2025年国家空气污染控制计划的发布被推迟了，地方政府省略了2023年空气改善的具体目标。这表明缺乏继续对污染控制采取强硬立场的承诺。
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北京居民邹毅监测该市的空气质量已有11年，并注意到近年来天空有变清变蓝的趋势。然而，在2021年的最初几个月，雾霾已经持续了近10天，是三年来最严重的一次。这是由于较高的工业排放和不利于扩散的气象条件造成的。
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公共和环境事务研究所（IPE）报告说，北京和其他北部和中部城市的PM2.5和PM10浓度分别上升了9%和21%。空气质量良好至优秀的天数也减少了8%。这种恶化的空气与工业活动相关，因为在过去两个月里，官方的采购经理人指数（PMI）读数一直在增加。
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生态环境部已经承认经济复苏对污染控制的压力。各地为了追求经济增长，以牺牲高排放为代价推进项目，而企业为了追求利润，违反了有关污染物排放的法律和法规。
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中国在与空气污染的10年斗争中取得了令人印象深刻的成果。PM2.5浓度下降了57%，每单位GDP的二氧化碳排放量下降了34.4%，而且中国在改善空气质量和扩大清洁能源使用方面超过了所有其他国家。
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2013年大气污染防治行动计划》提出了减少污染物排放、调整产业结构、建立监测预警应急体系等10项措施。这些建议由相关部门实施，并有具体指标和期限。改善空气质量的主要措施是调整能源结构，主要是减少煤炭的使用，特别是在燃煤发电领域。
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中国还迫使工业界提升技术，以减少燃煤的排放，并转向太阳能、水力和风力发电等清洁能源。然而，减少非发电部门的排放将是最具挑战性的部分。
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中国正努力在2030年和2060年之前实现其雄心勃勃的脱碳目标。已有的措施在预防污染方面是有效的，未来的努力将需要更多的措施。技术进步将在污染控制方面提供更多的工具。
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大流行病的影响是中国污染控制的一个问题。有一些不明显的政策举措，如没有旨在减少冬季排放的年度生产控制令。
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在中国治理污染的过程中，必须保持政策的一致性，以便在企业间形成共识。这将导致过时的技术和不适当的生产方式被市场淘汰。
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China’s decade-long battle against air pollution is facing a setback, as people witness a return of the choking smog that had been rarely seen in recent years. Beijing’s average concentration of PM2.5 fell to 30 micrograms per cubic meter in 2020, the lowest since records began in 2013. Despite the progress made in reducing emissions, smoggy days are making a comeback across the country.
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China’s efforts to clean up the air have been driven by top-level policy design. In 2013, the country announced a strategy to address its notorious smog problem and set explicit targets for cutting emissions. In 2018, a three-year campaign was begun to pressure localities to reduce emissions. The country has developed an effective set of policy tools to ensure implementation, and in February 2021, the State Council set new targets for improving air quality.
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The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated China’s progress toward its air quality goals, but as the economy emerges from the pandemic, speculation is mounting over whether authorities will continue their tough stance on pollution control. Economic recovery is reviving high-energy consuming industries and spurring increased gasoline consumption, and some localities and companies have violated regulations in the pursuit of economic growth.
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Zou Yi has been monitoring Beijing’s air quality for 11 years and noticed a trend towards clearer skies, until recent months. March of this year saw the worst air quality in three years, with smog lasting for nearly 10 days. An increase in industrial emissions and adverse meteorological conditions for dispersion are to blame.
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The Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs reported that the average concentration of PM2.5 and PM10 increased 9% and 21% respectively, and the number of days with good to excellent air quality dropped 8%. This corresponds with the increase in industrial activity, as the purchasing managers’ index rose 2.5 points to 52.6 in February.
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The Ministry of Ecology and Environment attributed the worsening of air quality to localities pursuing economic growth and promoting projects at the expense of high emissions, and businesses seeking profits without adhering to pollution control regulations.
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China’s 10-year battle against air pollution has yielded impressive results, with cumulative concentration of PM2.5 in major cities decreasing 57% since 2013 and carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP dropping by 34.4%. This progress is attributed to explicit measures and strict requirements established by top-level authorities in the 2013 Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan, as well as a 2018 campaign that advanced structural changes for the energy, transportation, land use and other sectors.
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Cutting the use of coal, especially in the coal-fired power generation sector, has been the key part of the country’s emission control efforts. This has been done by shifting to cleaner sources of energy such as solar, hydro and wind power, as well as pressing industries to upgrade technology to reduce emission from coal burning. As of the end of 2022, China completed the upgrade of 1.08 billion kilowatts of coal-fired generating units to meet ultra-low emission standards.
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However, there is still plenty of room for China to further reduce pollution from coal burning, as power generation accounts for only 55% of the country’s coal consumption. Reducing emissions from the vast non-power generation sectors will be the most challenging part, according to Liu.
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China is committed to ambitious decarbonization goals and is continuing measures that have been effective in pollution prevention over the past decade. Future efforts will require more measures in adjusting industrial structures in order to generate stronger momentum. Technology advancements will provide more tools in pollution control and key breakthroughs such as energy storage could lead to market expansion and cost reductions.
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The pandemic has caused uncertainty in China’s economy and the impacts could undermine determination for pollution control. This concern has been fueled by some obscure policy moves like the absence of an annual production control order. It is important to maintain consistent policies in order to form a consensus in the society that pollution needs to be fixed and outdated technologies and production methods need to be eliminated.
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The most important achievement made during China’s decade-long pollution fight is the policy consistency and the long-term expectation it formed among businesses. This can help in the continued pursuit of technological innovation and the eventual elimination of pollution.