Air Pollution in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region Greatly Eases, Says University Research Team
Zhang Ke
DATE:  Aug 08 2017
/ SOURCE:  Yicai
Air Pollution in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region Greatly Eases, Says University Research Team Air Pollution in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region Greatly Eases, Says University Research Team

(Yicai Global) Aug. 8 -- "After four years of administration, the PM2.5 and PM10 pollution in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region has improved significantly," said the report titled Assessment of the State of Pollution in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region (2013-2016) recently released by the Center for Statistical Science and the Guanghua School of Management, both of Peking University.

This is the fourth report assessing air quality in key areas in China the team has completed.

Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei is the most polluted region in China and thus the primary one for air pollution administration. The State Council issued its Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan in September 2013. It mandates that the PM2.5 concentration in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region be reduced next year by 25 percent from 2012. This means the average annual PM2.5 concentration in Beijing is to be controlled at about 60 micrograms per cubic meter.

Based on the pollutant monitoring data from March 2013 to May 2017 of 73 national air quality monitoring sites and the meteorological data over the past seven years of 25 weather stations (total data over 44 million), researchers analyzed and assessed the actual situation over the past four years and air quality trends in the region, the research team advised.

They found that the PM2.5 and PM10 pollution in the region has improved significantly after four years of administration. The PM2.5 concentration in the region's 13 cities dropped by 27 percent from 100.1 micrograms per cubic meter in 2013 to 72.5 micrograms per cubic meter in 2016, with the average PM10 concentration down by 31 percent, from 182.7 micrograms per cubic meter in 2013 to 125.7 micrograms per cubic meter last year.

Nitrogen dioxide pollution, however, showed scant improvement. The average nitrogen dioxide concentration in the region dropped by a mere 4.5 percent from 51.1 micrograms per cubic meter in 2013 to 48.8 micrograms per cubic meter in 2016, paling into insignificance with the improved PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations.

They also found that the ozone pollution in the region has been rising in the recent three years, so strong measures should be taken in a timely manner to curb this trend. In contrast to the obvious reduction of other five pollutants, ozone pollution in the region has been rising in the last three years. The average annual ozone concentration of 24 hours in 13 cities in the region rose by 6.7 micrograms per cubic meter or 13.3 percent in the past four years.

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Keywords:   Air,PM 2.5,PM 10