• China cut PM2.5 levels by roughly 30% over the past decade, improving overall air quality. • Strict vehicle emissions standards and a rapid shift to electric cars curb urban smog. • Coal consumption fell, yet coal still powers about 60% of China’s electricity generation. • Improved air quality is evident along Beijing’s Liangma riverbanks, now frequented by families and pensioners. • Health benefits include fewer respiratory illnesses and a measurable decline in pollution‑related mortality. • Remaining challenges: rural pollution, industrial emissions, enforcement gaps, and the need for sustained policy momentum.
Article Summaries:
- Fifteen years ago, Beijing’s Liangma riverbanks would have been smog-choked and deserted in winter, but these days they are dotted with families and exercising pensioners most mornings.
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