Xinhua | January 22, 2024
A staff member records the operation of equipment at Tangshan Jidong Qixin Cement Co., Ltd. in Tangshan, north China's Hebei Province, April 13, 2023. (Xinhua/Mu Yu)
China on Friday released plans to reduce pollution emissions from its cement and coking industries, part of its green development efforts.
In the country's key regions for air pollution control, half of cement clinker production capacity is expected to complete ultra-low emission transformation by the end of 2025, according to the plans issued by state organs including the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.
By the end of 2028, 80 percent of China's overall cement clinker production capacity will have finished the transformation.
The plans also anticipate 80 percent of China's overall coke production capacity to finish the transformation by 2028.
Local governments are encouraged to provide tax incentives for producers operating with ultra-low emissions, and expedite the adoption of advanced pollution-reduction technologies.
China has made remarkable progress in air pollution control over recent years. For instance, PM2.5 density, a key indicator of air pollution, dropped 3.3 percent year on year to 29 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022, having decreased continuously for nearly a decade.
The country has also announced that it will peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.