Beijing’s skies are clearing up. The city recorded 290 days of good air quality last year, the highest since monitoring began, according to the municipal ecology and environment bureau.
Good air quality was recorded in the national capital on 79.2 percent of days in 2022, an increase of 19 days from the previous year and a significant rise of 114 days compared to 2013. Once reeling from severe air pollution a decade ago, Beijing has seen continued improvements following a series of clean-up initiatives.
Under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization, China has unwaveringly prioritized ecological well-being and green, low-carbon development. Strengthening environmental protection across the board, green development has become a hallmark of Chinese modernization.
Green Transition in Action
China is committed to reducing pollution and carbon emissions. The nation is optimizing industries, accelerating the clean and efficient use of energy, and promoting green practices in transportation and construction. These efforts have significantly increased the ‘green content’ of economic development.
To restore its ecological environment, Chinese President Xi Jinping has, since 2016, presided over multiple symposiums to promote the Yangtze River Economic Belt’s new path of ecological priority and green development. The nine provinces and two municipalities along this economic belt have accelerated industrial transformation, seeking greener development paths.
In Changzhou City, east China’s Jiangsu Province, low-end chemical firms along the shore have been replaced with green and emerging industries. The city’s new energy sector boosted industrial output growth by 9 percentage points in the first seven months of 2023. The number of monitoring sites in the Yangtze River Basin achieving excellent water quality increased from 81.8 percent in 2015 to 98.5 percent in 2023.
By building a green, low-carbon, and circular production system, China promotes the construction of green factories and parks in the industrial sector and reduces the use of fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture. This has comprehensively improved the green development of traditional industries.
From 2012 to 2022, China’s economy grew on average at more than 6 percent, with an annual energy consumption growth rate of 3 percent. Energy consumption per unit of GDP dropped by 26.4 percent cumulatively, making China the country with the fastest decline in energy consumption intensity, without compromising economic expansion.
Tackling Pollution Head-On
China has demonstrated its determination to prevent and control pollution with unprecedented vigor. Making ecological and environmental issues a priority for people’s livelihoods, China has launched massive campaigns to keep skies blue, waters clear, and lands clean.
Significant efforts have been made to give people blue skies. Over 95 percent of China’s coal-fired power units and over 45 percent of crude steel production capacity have completed the transition to ultra-low emissions. China has built the world’s largest clean electricity supply system and clean steel production system.
In 2022, the average PM2.5 concentration in China’s major cities was 30 micrograms per cubic meter, a decrease of 54 percent from 10 years ago. The number of days with heavy pollution decreased by 83 percent in the same period, showing the fastest improvement in air quality of any country in the world.
Meanwhile, the country has advanced its battle for clear water, taking strong measures to reduce sewage discharge and control pollution sources. The proportion of surface-water bodies nationwide classified as having excellent water quality reached 89.4 percent in 2023, surpassing targets set in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025).
China’s commitment to an ecological civilization is a holistic approach, integrating environmentally friendly urban development, comprehensive nature and biodiversity protection policies, and a unified approach to sustainability.
