Rahul Somvanshi
China wants to get rid of its worst air pollution by the end of 2025. This plan comes from Li Tianwei, who leads the country’s Department of Atmospheric Environment.
The Air is Getting Better
China has already made some good progress. In 2024, the tiny harmful particles in the air (called PM2.5) dropped by 2.7%. The proportion of days with good air quality reached 87.2% of the year.
Between 2013 and 2020, these harmful particles in the air went down by 40%. That’s a big improvement, but there’s still work to do.
Health experts consider air pollution “severe” when these tiny particles reach certain high levels. The World Health Organization (WHO) considers PM2.5 concentrations above 50 micrograms per cubic meter as “severe” air pollution.
Why This Matters for People’s Health
Dirty air is still hurting many Chinese people. The World Health Organization says about 2 million people die each year in China because of air pollution. Half of these deaths come from outdoor air pollution, and half from indoor pollution caused by cooking with dirty fuels.
What China is Doing About It
To reach their 2025 goal, China is taking several steps:
First, they’re getting better at predicting bad air days. This helps warn people when pollution will be high so they can stay indoors.
Second, they’re making stricter rules about how much pollution factories and cars can release.
Third, they’re pushing for more electric vehicles, especially in busy places like airports and shipping ports.
Fourth, they want to move goods by train and boat instead of trucks, since this creates less pollution.
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The Energy Problem
A big challenge is that China still relies heavily on coal and oil:
- Coal provides 61% of China’s energy
- Oil provides another 17.9%
Many power plants don’t have good equipment to clean the smoke they release. This means they put out more ash, sulfur, mercury and other harmful substances.
What Leaders Are Saying
President Xi Jinping has said that protecting the environment is a top priority for China. He believes that taking care of nature is an important part of making China modern.
As Li Tianwei put it simply: “The blue sky is not given; it is earned.”
The Big Picture
Cleaning up China’s air is a huge job because:
The country has 337 cities and 1.4 billion people.
China makes many products for the world, so they have to balance making goods with making less pollution.
They want to fix severe pollution by the end of 2025, which doesn’t leave much time.
They need to find cleaner ways to make energy than burning coal.
Despite these challenges, China has shown they can make the air cleaner. The next few years will be crucial to see if they can reach their goal of no severe pollution by the end of 2025.
Common Questions About China’s Clean Air Plan
China wants to get rid of the worst air pollution by the end of 2025. This is part of their five-year plan to make the air healthier for everyone.
The World Health Organization says about 2 million people die every year in China because of air pollution. About half die from outdoor air pollution, and half from indoor pollution from cooking with dirty fuels.
Health experts say air is severely polluted when tiny particles called PM2.5 reach high levels (above 50 micrograms per cubic meter). These particles are so small you can’t see them, but they can get deep into your lungs and make you sick.
China is doing several things to make the air cleaner:
They’re getting better at predicting bad air days so people can stay inside when needed.
They’re making stricter rules about how much pollution factories and cars can release.
They’re encouraging more electric vehicles, especially at busy places like airports.
They want to move goods by train and boat instead of trucks, since this makes less pollution.
Yes, China’s air is getting cleaner. In 2024, the harmful particles in the air went down by 2.7%, and the proportion of days with good air quality reached 87.2%. Since 2013, the harmful stuff in the air has dropped by 40%. Things are getting better, but there’s still more work to do.
The biggest causes of air pollution in China are:
Burning coal and oil for energy (coal makes up 61% of China’s energy)
Factory smoke that isn’t properly cleaned
Exhaust from cars and trucks (China has 360 million vehicles)
Vehicles and machines create about 60% of certain types of pollution
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