2017年CRI More cities see air-quality standards improved: environment official

 

Wu Jiyou, deputy director of with the Environmental Protection Ministry¹'s Department of Environmental Monitoring says the general trend toward better air quality in Chinese cities remained consistent this past year.

"The number of cities meeting air quality standards has steadily² increased, and so has the number of good-quality days through the year. 84 of 338 cities in China now meet national air-quality standards. This represents an increase of 11 cities compared with last year."

Official data also shows a decrease in the number of days with a high concentration of particulate³ matter and general bad air pollution.

Among the 340 cities measured, PM2.5 concentrations have dropped 6-percent on average, or by some 47-micrograms per cubic meter last year.

The number of severe air pollution days has also decreased by 2.6 percent.

The figures have been released as Beijing and other cities across northern and central China continue to struggle through pollution problems this winter, putting major pressure on authorities to address the problem.

To help curb⁴ the choking smog, China's leadership has been working to expand clean energy generation to replace coal-fired power plants in northern areas of the country.

The local tradition in northern China of burning coal for individual home-heating is also being cited as one of the continuing problems.

Wu Jiyou says the early months have proven problematic this winter.

"When winter heating first came-on, between November 15th and December 31st this past year, the concentration of PM2.5 increased 2.4 times for the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Province region, averaging 135 micrograms per cubic meter. In December alone there were five large-scale air pollution events in this region. Though its air quality is improving, the capital region still remains⁶ the most polluted in the entire country." 

One of the challenges facing local governments is the timely and accurate reporting of air-quality problems.

Liu Bingjiang, head of air-quality management with the Ministry of Environmental Protection, says this is something they're moving to try to address.

"We've set up an assessment⁷ mechanism⁸ with improving air quality as its core task and with CPC and government as its dual⁵ caretakers. This mechanism warns provinces and cities which prove slow in improving air quality; it summons provinces and cities with worsening air quality for direct hearings. This past year, officials from 7 different cities were called-out for slow or improper⁹ reporting of air quality."

On top of the obvious health concerns, the high-levels of air pollution are also creating economic concerns, as high-pollution days now force local governments to take steps to curb air pollution.

This includes shutting down factories and construction sites, as well as local traffic in certain circumstances, creating a direct impact on economic growth prospects¹⁰.

1 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

2 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

3 particulate   

adj.微小的；n.微粒，粒子

参考例句：

• A special group was organized to dig up the particulate of the case.成立了一个专门小组来查明该案件的各个细节。
• Lungs retain relatively insoluble particulate material.肺脏内留有不溶解的颗粒物质。

4 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

5 dual   

adj.双的；二重的，二元的

参考例句：

• The people's Republic of China does not recognize dual nationality for any Chinese national.中华人民共和国不承认中国公民具有双重国籍。
• He has dual role as composer and conductor.他兼作曲家及指挥的双重身分。

6 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

7 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

8 mechanism   

n.机械装置；机构，结构

参考例句：

• The bones and muscles are parts of the mechanism of the body.骨骼和肌肉是人体的组成部件。
• The mechanism of the machine is very complicated.这台机器的结构是非常复杂的。

9 improper   

adj.不适当的，不合适的，不正确的，不合礼仪的

参考例句：

• Short trousers are improper at a dance.舞会上穿短裤不成体统。
• Laughing and joking are improper at a funeral.葬礼时大笑和开玩笑是不合适的。

10 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。