A recent study by the non-profit organization Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air reveals that half of the Chinese cities targeted by the government for air quality improvements have missed their targets. This is likely due to China’s prioritization of strengthening the economy over cutting pollutants. Each autumn, China typically releases a winter air quality plan to address the increase in air pollution during the winter months caused by coal heating and atmospheric conditions. However, in 2022, the plan was not enforced, and it was only reintroduced part-way 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 meet their goals for cutting concentrations of hazardous particles known as PM2.5. In the first quarter of 2024, 41% of the cities exceeded the limits. The report also noted 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 2023-
