A study of the factors behind improved air quality in China, following strict clean air policies implemented during 2013-2017, finds that rather than interannual meteorological variation, strengthened industrial emissions standards, upgrades on industrial boilers, retirement of outdated industrial facilities, and promotion of clean fuels in homes were dominant factors that decreased the national annual mean particulate matter exposure and together averted an estimated 370,000 deaths annually.
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Article #19-07956: "Drivers of improved PM2.5 air quality in China from 2013 to 2017," by Qiang Zhang et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Qiang Zhang, Tsinghua University, Beijing, CHINA; e-mail: qiangzhang@tsinghua.edu.cn
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences