Shanghai to tighten emission standard
Updated: 2012-03-04 20:47
(Xinhua)
|
|||||||||||
BEIJING - Shanghai is planning to implement a harsher vehicle emission regulation starting next year in an effort to curb the city's air pollution, a senior environmental official said Sunday.
The move is part of a collection of air control measures rolled out by the Shanghai Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau to improve air quality and cut PM2.5 -- fine particulate matter 2.5 microns or less in diameter, said Zhang Quan, director of the bureau.
Zhang, a deputy of the National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature, said the new standard is equivalent to the Euro 5 emission standard applied to passenger and light vehicles in EU member countries.
He said other regulations include speeding up the elimination of old vehicles and strengthening overhaul and maintenance on vehicles in use.
Shanghai's decision for a new emission standard came shortly after Beijing ushered in a similar regulation last month.
Beijing's economic planning agency announced on February 24 that the city will lead other provinces in the country to introduce the tighter National 5 vehicle emission standard, also equivalent to Euro 5, this year.
China's Cabinet, the State Council, on Wednesday passed revised air quality standards, which include an index for the concentration of PM2.5, which are considered more hazardous to health than larger particles.
Zhang said Shanghai's PM2.5 particles are mainly from vehicle emissions and discharges from power plants and industrial boilers.
Zhang is in Beijing to participate in the annual session of the NPC.
Today's Top News
President Xi confident in recovery from quake
H7N9 update: 104 cases, 21 deaths
Telecom workers restore links
Coal mine blast kills 18 in Jilin
Intl scholarship puts China on the map
More bird flu patients discharged
Gold loses sheen, but still a safe bet
US 'turns blind eye to human rights'
Hot Topics
Lunar probe , China growth forecasts, Emission rules get tougher, China seen through 'colored lens', International board,
Editor's Picks
All-out efforts to save lives |
Liaoning: China's oceangoing giant |
Poultry industry under pressure |
'Spring' in the air for NGOs? |
Boy set to drive Chinese golf |
Latest technology gets people talking |