Beijing's Fine Dust Concentration Decreases by More Than 17%

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-gyu Lee] The annual average concentration of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) in Beijing, China, last year reportedly decreased by more than 17% compared to the previous year.

According to reports on the 5th from Xinhua News Agency and others, the Beijing Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau announced that the average PM 2.5 concentration (particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less) in Beijing last year was 42 μg/m³, marking the lowest level ever recorded. This figure is 17.6% lower than the previous year's 51 μg/m³. Compared to 2013, when Beijing began monitoring PM 2.5 levels (89.5 μg/m³), the concentration has decreased by 53%.

Last year, the number of days with excellent air quality classified as Grade 1 or 2 in Beijing was 240 days, accounting for 65.8%. There were 4 days of heavy pollution. Since 2014, Beijing has closed or relocated factories that emit large amounts of pollutants and strengthened emission standards for diesel vehicles. However, Beijing's fine particulate matter concentration remains higher than China's official standard of 35 μg/m³ and more than four times higher than the World Health Organization (WHO) annual guideline of 10 μg/m³.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.