Recently, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment publicly solicited opinions on three national ecological and environmental standards, including the "Ambient Air Quality Standard (Draft for Comment)" (revised GB 3095—2012) and its supporting technical specifications. This revision mainly tightens the concentration limits for particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide, which means that my country is expected to usher in more stringent ambient air quality standards.
Why are the concentration limits for PM2.5 and other pollutants being tightened? What impact will stricter standards have on economic and social development? How will the newly revised standards be implemented? Experts have provided answers to these questions.
Since the implementation of the current standards, my country's ambient air quality has improved significantly.
my country's current ambient air quality standards were released in 2012. The secondary limit for the annual average concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is 35 micrograms per cubic meter, corresponding to the first-stage transitional value in the World Health Organization's Global Air Quality Guidelines.
Pei Xiaofei, spokesperson for the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and director of the Department of Publicity and Education, introduced that compared with 2015, the national average PM2.5 concentration has decreased by 36% and the number of heavily polluted days has decreased by 68% over the past 10 years; at the same time, the GDP has increased by 63% and the number of cars has increased by 111%.
Pei Xiaofei said that by implementing relatively strict air quality standards, my country has led the work of air pollution prevention and control to achieve four strategic transformations: from total pollutant emission control to air quality improvement, from single pollutant control to multi-pollutant coordinated control, from industrial sources to comprehensive treatment of multiple pollution sources, and from local pollution control to regional joint prevention and control.
"From practical experience, the revision of the standards has not only greatly improved the air quality across the country, but also played a positive role in promoting high-quality economic development," said Pei Xiaofei. She added that relatively strict standards can not only guide the improvement of air quality and better protect the health of the people, but also inject green momentum into economic development and promote high-quality economic and social development.
To provide guidance and support for achieving the goal of building a beautiful China
A growing body of research, both domestic and international, shows that air pollutants, particularly PM2.5, have a significant impact on human health. In addition to PM2.5, exposure to pollutants such as PM10, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide also poses health risks.
Hao Jiming, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a professor at Tsinghua University, said: "Based on the principle of protecting public health through ambient air quality standards, it is necessary to revise the standards to further safeguard the health of the people."
The goal of building a beautiful China requires that the national average PM2.5 concentration be reduced to below 25 micrograms per cubic meter by 2035. However, currently, nearly half (124) of the cities that meet the standard still have an annual average PM2.5 concentration higher than 25 micrograms per cubic meter, which is still a gap from the goal of building a beautiful China.
In response, Hao Jiming stated that it is necessary to revise the standards to provide guidance and support for achieving the goal of building a beautiful China.
"This revision also takes into account factors such as my country's development stage, industrial structure, spatial layout, resource endowment, environmental capacity, and governance capabilities, and reasonably sets standard limits," said Zhang Yuanhang, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and professor at Peking University. According to the scenario analysis of socio-economic development and pollution system governance driven by carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, my country can achieve the goal of reducing the annual average PM2.5 concentration to below 25 micrograms per cubic meter by 2035.
Zhu Tong, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a professor at Peking University, believes that the health benefits brought about by the implementation of the new standards are also closely related to the age structure of the population. As my country's population ages, revising the ambient air quality standards and carrying out coordinated governance of multiple air pollutants can further reduce the disease burden and protect vulnerable populations.
The "15th Five-Year Plan" period is a crucial period for building a beautiful China, carrying forward the past and for achieving fundamental improvement in the ecological environment. It is also a critical period for my country to promote the construction of a healthy China and achieve high-quality economic and social development.
Zhu Tong believes that, against this backdrop, revising the ambient air quality standards and continuously improving ambient air quality will extend the average life expectancy of the population, save residents' medical expenses, further enhance the public's sense of well-being under blue skies, and meet the people's expectations for a beautiful ecological environment.
The revised ambient air quality standards will be implemented in two phases.
"From the perspective of implementation methods, the positive impact of the standard revision on economic and social development and the improvement of people's well-being is more obvious," said Pei Xiaofei. She explained that the phased implementation of the PM2.5 and PM10 concentration limits in this revision is intended to reduce the impact of the standard revision on the economy and society, and to achieve a smooth transition while ensuring the stable operation of the economy and society.
It is understood that the revised ambient air quality standards will be implemented in two phases—
The first phase, from 2026 to 2030, will implement transitional limits for particulate matter concentrations. Specifically, the secondary limits for annual and daily average PM2.5 concentrations will be 30 micrograms per cubic meter and 60 micrograms per cubic meter, respectively, while the secondary limits for annual and daily average PM10 concentrations will be 60 micrograms per cubic meter and 120 micrograms per cubic meter, respectively. The concentrations of other pollutants will remain unchanged from the current limits.
The second phase, starting in 2031, will fully implement the revised concentration limits for pollutants such as particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide.
In addition, transitional limits will be set during the 15th Five-Year Plan period to continue to give full play to the guiding role of standards before full implementation; at the same time, a preparation period will be reserved for the steady and orderly implementation of new standards in various regions to reduce the short-term pressure of standard revision on economic and social development and achieve a smooth transition.
He Kebin, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a professor at Tsinghua University, stated that air quality model simulations and scenario analyses conducted by multiple research institutions indicate that to achieve the goal of reducing the national average PM2.5 concentration to below 25 micrograms per cubic meter by 2035, emissions of major pollutants need to be reduced by 20% to 30%. To ensure the smooth implementation of air quality improvement pathways, it is necessary to promote systematic emission reductions and coordinated governance in the energy, industry, and transportation sectors.
"Achieving air quality standards is a gradual process, and we don't blindly pursue speed of improvement. The air pollution prevention and control policies and pollutant emission standards for related industries will be gradually introduced, and the supporting funds, technologies, methods and means required for achieving standards will also be implemented step by step," said Pei Xiaofei.
(Guangming Daily, Beijing, January 11, reporter Zhang Sheng)
