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Chinese capital makes clean air grade for first time

  • Beijing’s levels of PM2.5 and other key pollutants meet national standards in 2021
  • Results reflect two decades of efforts but more needs to be done, official says

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Beijing has reported major gains in its war on air pollution. Photo: Simon Song
China’s capital met national air quality standards for the first time last year, reaching a milestone in its anti-pollution drive, according to Beijing’s environmental protection bureau.
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But the levels of particularly fine pollutants remain well above World Health Organization recommendations.

The bureau said on Tuesday that concentrations of small, lung-damaging particles known as PM2.5 averaged 33 micrograms per cubic metre in Beijing in 2021, 13 per cent lower than in 2020 and a 63 per cent drop compared with 2013, when the country started releasing air quality data.

The average last year was also below the interim national standard of 35mcg but above the 5mcg recommended by the WHO.

Bureau deputy head Yu Jianhua said the pollution had declined despite growth in the capital.

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