A Turning Point in Environmental Protection Efforts

China's Ozone Pollution Halted, Air Quality Improves

China has successfully halted the rise of ozone pollution and stabilized its concentration levels, according to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. This achievement comes amidst ongoing efforts to improve air quality across the country.

The average ozone density in China in 2024 was 143.6 micrograms per cubic meter, a decrease of 2.7% compared to 2019. This marks a significant turning point after years of increasing ozone levels.

The ministry aims to eliminate days with heavy pollution this year, despite less favorable weather conditions. They plan to achieve this by further reducing emissions through various initiatives, including promoting clean heating, ultralow emission transformation, volatile organic chemical controls, and transportation sector management.

The stabilization of ozone levels coincides with China's overall improvement in air quality. This progress is attributed to stricter pollution controls and favorable meteorological conditions, including fewer sand and dust storms.

Efforts to reduce emissions in key sectors, particularly the steel industry, have played a crucial role in this improvement. Ultralow emission upgrades have been completed for 130 million metric tons of production capacity, and over 80% of the steel industry has been upgraded.

Despite economic challenges and external pressures, China's average concentration of PM2.5 – fine particulate matter linked to health risks – fell to 29.3 micrograms per cubic meter last year, a decrease of 2.7% compared to the previous year.

The proportion of days with "fairly good" air quality reached 87.2% in 2024, an increase of 1.7 percentage points from 2023 and the highest since 2021. Meanwhile, the proportion of days with heavy pollution or worse in 2024 dropped to 0.9%, the lowest so far this decade and a year-on-year decrease of 0.7 percentage points.