Shocking Reveal: Half of Chinese Cities Miss Air Quality Targets as Government Prioritizes Growth

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Research by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) has revealed that half of the Chinese cities targeted by the government for air quality improvements did not meet their targets as the country prioritized economic growth over reducing pollutants. Normally, China releases a winter air quality plan every autumn to address the increase in pollution during the winter months, but this plan was not enforced in 2022 and only reintroduced partway through the 2023-2024 winter season. The environment ministry was not immediately available for comment.

In the fourth quarter of 2023, half of the cities targeted by the December air quality action plan failed to reduce concentrations of hazardous particles (PM2.5), while in the first quarter of 2024, 41% of cities surpassed the limits. PM2.5 levels increased by 4.7% year-on-year in the 2022-2023 winter season and only dropped by 1.6% in the 2023-