Brian Barton
China has long faced challenges with pollution, and its cities have consistently ranked among the most polluted in the world. The country's rapid development and industrialization have resulted in excessive emissions of greenhouse gases, with population growth, increased manufacturing outputs, and a boom in motor vehicles contributing to poor air quality. In 2019, China ranked as the 11th dirtiest country globally, with Beijing residents experiencing Moderate levels of pollution for just two months of that year. While China has made significant progress in reducing air pollution in recent years, it continues to grapple with the public health impacts of polluted air and soil.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| China's rank in pollution in the world in 2019 | 11th |
| US AQI figure for China in 2019 | 110 |
| Beijing's air quality in 2019 | "Moderate" for 2 months, "Unhealthy for Sensitive groups" for the remaining 10 months |
| Beijing's PM2.5 average in 2019 | 42.1 µg/m³ |
| China's cleanest city in 2019 | LInzhi, Tibet |
| China's dirtiest city in 2019 | Hotan, Xinjiang province |
| China's dirtiest cities in 2024 | Heavily concentrated in Henan Province, with cities like Hotan and Kashgar in Xinjiang also ranking high in pollution |
| China's progress in reducing air pollution | Between 2013 and 2020, the amount of harmful particulates in the air fell by 40%; average PM2.5 concentrations fell by 33% from 2013 to 2017 in 74 cities; overall pollution fell by 10% between 2017 and 2018 |
| Causes of China's air pollution | Economic boom, increase in motorised vehicles, population growth, increase in manufacturing outputs, topography, seas, combustion of coal, burning of fossil fuels, vehicle emissions |
| Plastic pollution | In 2011, China produced 2.3 million tons of electronic waste; the country also imports large amounts of electronic waste from overseas |
| Agricultural pollution | Chinese farms generate more pollution than factories |
| Soil pollution | 38,610 square miles (100,000 km2) of China's cultivated land have been polluted |
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What You'll Learn
China's air quality in 2024
China has long struggled with poor air quality, and its cities have consistently ranked among the most polluted in the world. The country's rapid development over the past few decades has resulted in excessive emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. While China has made efforts to improve its air quality in recent years, many of its cities continue to grapple with high levels of air pollution.
In January 2024, China proposed new targets for improved air quality as part of its green and low-carbon development agenda. These targets, while still above the limits recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), aim to reduce the national average concentration of fine particulate matter (a measure of air quality) to less than 28 micrograms per cubic metre by 2027 and less than 25 micrograms by 2035.
During the first half of 2024, China made some progress in improving its air quality. A significant rise in clean power generation, coupled with a downturn in heavy industries tied to the real estate sector, led to a reduction in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) levels of 2.9%. Additionally, the swift growth of clean energy helped reduce carbon emissions and air pollution, with clean energy sources fully meeting the year's increased electricity demand.
However, ozone levels continued to rise in China during the first half of 2024, despite reductions in the concentration of all other air pollutants. This rise is attributed to the expanding chemicals and non-ferrous metals industries, which emit large amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), the key precursors of ozone. The industrial added values of these industries grew by 10.5% and 11.1%, respectively, in the first half of the year, exacerbating the challenge of reducing ozone pollution.
While China's air quality still has a long way to go, the country is making strides in the right direction. Regional disparities exist, with southwestern provinces seeing the most significant air quality improvements in the first half of 2024 due to a shift from coal to hydropower. Additionally, China's previous national "interim" air quality standard of 35 micrograms per cubic metre had already shown progress, as 338 cities enjoyed good air quality on 79% of days in 2018, compared to only 84 cities in 2016.
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China's waste management projects
China has been grappling with waste management for over two decades, with varying degrees of success. The country is the world's second-largest producer of municipal solid waste (MSW) and has a waste management market valued at USD 70.04 billion in 2023, projected to reach USD 126.83 billion by 2030.
The Chinese government has implemented various initiatives and policies to address waste management, including:
- The Plastic Waste Reduction Project (Shaanxi): China invested USD 250 million to reduce plastic pollution from MSW and improve provincial e-waste management.
- Strengthened supervision and management: The government has imposed obligations on waste generators, focused on enforcement, and introduced initiatives around waste exclusion, such as the ban on importing 'foreign garbage'.
- Waste sorting and recycling: In 2017, the central government set out plans to recycle 35% of waste in 46 major cities by 2020 through standardised waste sorting. Shanghai was the first city to adopt mandatory waste classification, followed by Beijing and 16 other cities.
- Waste-to-energy practices: China has promoted waste-to-energy technologies and improved waste-to-energy practices.
- Medical waste disposal: China has expertise in medical waste disposal, providing training and equipment to hospitals in Nepal, Myanmar, the Philippines, Laos, and Cambodia.
While China has made progress in waste management, challenges remain. Landfill is still a major way to dispose of MSW, and much of China's waste ends up in landfills or rivers, leading to ocean pollution. The dramatic increase in delivery package waste from e-commerce has also aggravated the waste problem in cities.
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China's electronic waste
China has been facing severe pollution issues due to rapid development over the past three decades, resulting in excessive emissions of greenhouse gases. While China has made significant progress in reducing air pollution, with cities enjoying good air quality on 79% of days in 2018, the country still faces challenges, particularly in the densely populated and industrially active Henan Province and cities in Xinjiang.
The majority of e-waste in China is handled through illegal and informal recycling processes, which are highly unregulated and unsafe. Guiyu, in Guangdong Province, is widely considered the largest e-waste site globally, with more than 100 truckloads of e-waste transported and processed daily. The area has become a toxic and harmful environment, with lead levels in the river sediment doubling European safety levels. The soil surrounding factories is saturated with lead, chromium, tin, and other heavy metals, and the water is undrinkable.
China's formal e-waste recycling industry, however, is quite developed and follows strict regulations. The formal recycling process includes collection, storage, sorting/dismantling/shredding, separation, and recovery. This process allows for the safe handling of e-waste and the recovery of precious raw materials for future use. Despite China's efforts to tighten regulations and ban the importation of e-waste, the country still struggles with the influx of foreign e-waste, primarily from developed Western countries, due to cheaper labor costs and lax environmental standards.
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China's air pollution health impact
China's rapid industrialization has resulted in severe air pollution, which has had adverse health impacts on its citizens and contributed to environmental degradation. Cities in China consistently rank among the most polluted globally, with high PM2.5 levels driven by industrial emissions, fossil fuel reliance, and unfavourable weather conditions.
The health effects of air pollution in China have been widely studied, and the results indicate significant impacts on public health. The impact of air pollution varies across regions, with Central and Western China exhibiting positive correlations between good air quality and health scores, while Eastern China shows an inverse correlation. Air pollution can affect both physical and mental health, with particulate matter (PM2.5) posing the greatest danger to human health due to its ability to penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream.
The Health Effects Institute reported that unhealthy levels of PM2.5 contributed to approximately 1.42 million premature deaths in China in 2019. Additionally, household air pollution from burning solid fuels resulted in 363,000 additional deaths that year. The number of deaths attributed to air pollution in China is staggering, with an estimated 1.24 million people dying from air pollution exposure in 2017 alone, according to a study in The Lancet. Since 2000, the death toll from air pollution in the country has exceeded 30 million, as reported by New Scientist magazine.
China's air pollution problem has far-reaching consequences, not only threatening the health of its citizens but also impacting the global economy and global health. The Chinese government has implemented measures to improve air quality, and while some progress has been made in recent years, the country still faces significant challenges in balancing economic growth with environmental and social welfare. The success of these measures will determine China's ability to create a healthy environment for its citizens and meet its global climate commitments.
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China's soil pollution
China's rapid industrialization in the late 20th century and early 21st century has resulted in various forms of pollution, including soil pollution, which has become a pressing issue. Soil contamination is a significant problem worldwide, but it is particularly acute in developing countries undergoing rapid industrialization and urbanization, such as China.
China's industrialization has led to the construction of thousands of factories, many of which are located near agricultural lands and waterways. This has resulted in heavy metal contamination of the soil, affecting both food crops and the environment. It is estimated that nearly 20% of China's farmland has been contaminated with heavy metals, including cadmium, lead, and mercury. This contamination has far-reaching consequences, including food insecurity, economic losses, and public health threats.
The Chinese government has recognized the severity of the issue and has enacted the Soil Pollution Prevention and Control Law, which came into effect on January 1, 2019. This law represents a shift towards prioritizing the environment over GDP growth. It emphasizes prevention and includes measures to protect the soil from future pollution, while also holding polluters accountable for risk management and remediation of existing soil pollution.
The cost of remediation is expected to be substantial, estimated at up to CNY 9 trillion (USD 1.3 trillion) between 2016 and 2020. The government faces the challenge of financing these efforts, with a significant capital gap remaining even when combining polluter payments with government support. Innovative solutions and financing models are being explored to address this complex and urgent issue.
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Frequently asked questions
In 2019, China ranked as the 11th most polluted country in the world.
Air pollution is a major problem in China, largely due to emissions from vehicles, power stations, and manufacturing outputs.
Cities in the Henan Province are among the most polluted in China, due to dense population, heavy industrial activity, and frequent coal use. Hotan in Xinjiang province is China's dirtiest city, according to the US AQI figure.
China has made significant progress in reducing air pollution in recent years. Between 2013 and 2020, the amount of harmful particulates in the air fell by 40%, and overall pollution fell by a further 10% between 2017 and 2018.
