China’s capital Beijing will ban high-emission vehicles from Wednesday as part of its efforts to fight pollution.
Worried about the damage done to its reputation by consistent smog, the municipal government assured in January that it would take remarkable measures this year to curb emissions from coal usage and automobiles.
China is also thinking about tough new procedures restricting industrial activity in the region surrounding Beijing, according to a draft policy document viewed by Reuters.
Gasoline-powered automobiles that cannot fulfill China’s Emission Standard III will not be permitted to go into the city’s main districts on weekdays, and motorists will be fined if they fail to comply.
Beijing was among 24 cities to release a smog “red alert” at the end of 2016, permitting officials to enforce emergency restrictions on traffic and industrial output in order to lower emissions.
The 5.7 million automobiles on Beijing’s roads account for 31 percent of the city’s harmful breathable particles referred as PM2.5, a major constituent of smog. Automobiles are likewise approximated to be responsible for over 80 percent of the carbon monoxide gas in China’s air.
China has prepared new rules requiring all light cars to adhere by 2020 to its strictest “China VI” emission standards, which are based on those used in Europe and the United States.
New vehicles in Beijing will have to abide by the China VI standards from this year.
