According to research by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), half of the Chinese cities targeted by the government for air quality improvements did not meet their targets as the country prioritized economic growth over reducing pollutants. In 2022, China failed to enforce a winter air quality plan, which led to increased pollution levels during that season. The environment ministry was not immediately available for comment.
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 (PM2.5), while in the first quarter of 2024, 41% of cities surpassed the limits. PM2.5 levels increased by 4.7% year-on-year in the 2022-2023 winter season and only dropped by 1.6% in the 2023-2024 winter season.
The State Council’s December 2023 plan aimed to reduce coal consumption in regions like Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the Yangtze River Delta, and Shanxi and Shaanxi in northern China. While reductions in cement and coal production decreased emissions in the first quarter of 2024, increases in coal-fired power, non-ferrous metals, and petrochemicals offset some of those benefits. Industrial emissions account for about 6