To protect the ecological environment is to protect productive forces, and to improve the environment is to develop the economy. The issue of environment improvement, with which our country is confronted can be attributed to the problem of transforming the mode of development.
China still holds the world title in regard to the emission of air pollutants. The structural pollution is predominant. The emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has still not been reduced; we propose that the improvement of environmental quality needs differentiated and dynamic measures and detailed management; we have just made our first step in PM2.5 pollution prevention and control, and still shoulder the responsibility to move it forward. The air quality management reaches the deep end of coordinated prevention and control of PM2.5 and the ozone; the restructuring of the energy and transportation industries will make tremendous headway in the reduction of air pollution; we adhere to the leading role of science and technology, and continue to increase scientific and technological service capacity, and have established a detailed, comprehensive system for governing the atmospheric environment and promoting the scientific control of haze.
Our Official Blue Sky Strategy is to keep China's skies blue, adhering to four perspectives in the process. Firstly, ten specific measures to prevent and control air pollution and their effects. Secondly, acknowledging the basic challenges we are confronted with. Thirdly, developing a three-year action plan for winning the blue-sky battles. The last one is the brief conclusion.
In 2013, the State Council issued the 'Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Atmospheric Pollution'. This was the first national action plan and the first plan targeting PM2.5. It aims primarily to improve environmental quality. According to the plan, after a 5-year effort, the air quality will be improved right across the country and heavy pollution weather will be significantly reduced, and the air quality will be markedly improved in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, in the Yangtze River Delta, and in the Pearl River Delta. We will strive to use 5 years or even longer to gradually eliminate heavy pollution weather, and significantly improve the air quality across the country.
There are also challenges in improving the air quality. First, the improvement needs differentiated control. Second, the improvement needs detailed management. Third, the governing measures must be dynamic.
In 2019, China mapped out a three-year action plan on defending the blue sky. The plan highlights four key points: firstly, PM2.5 levels are the main factor needing to be improved. Secondly, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Fenhe-Weihe River Plain area are the three key areas. Thirdly, industry, heavy-duty trucks, scattered coal, and fugitive dust are four key fields to be targeted. Fourthly, the early winter and the early spring are the two key periods. We should optimize the industrial structure, energy structure, transportation structure, and land-use structure. Four support mechanisms are emphasized to strengthen the three-year plan action plan. These include: strengthening law enforcement and inspections, inter-regional prevention and control, scientific and technological innovation, and publicity and guidance.
The general requirements to get everybody on board with the new development strategies include: committing to getting everybody involved in improving the environment and addressing environmental issues at the root while focusing on the symptoms and prioritizing key areas; exercising economic policies, legal means, techniques, and necessary administrative methods to greatly adjust and optimize industrial structure, energy structure, transportation structure, and land-use structure, and to strengthen inter-region prevention and control; intensify pollution control in autumn and winter; secure the victory in our Official Blue Sky Strategy to achieve multiple benefits from gains in environmental, economic and social efficiency.
We need specific targets for coordinated emission reduction. We will markedly reduce air pollutants emission including greenhouse gases and integrate the strategy for combating air pollution with climate change. We will strive to achieve the 'four matters of significance'. These are: significantly decreasing PM2.5 density; significantly reducing the number of heavy pollution days, and a significantly improving air quality, and significantly increase people's happiness with more frequent blue skies.
Six necessary measures to meet this goal include: firstly, optimizing the industrial structure to promote green industrial development; secondly, speeding the energy restructuring process to establish a clean, low-carbon and efficient energy system; thirdly, taking active steps to adjust the transportation structure to develop a green traffic system; fourthly, optimizing and adjusting land-use structures to advance the diffusion of pollution control; fifthly, carry out a major special campaign to improve industry furnace management, the control of VOCs, and advance the critical battle against pollution from diesel-fueled trucks to reduce pollutants emission considerably; and lastly, strengthen inter-region prevention and control to effectively handle heavy pollution weather. There are also six main measures by which air pollution control can be move from background to front management and from the sole treatment of symptoms to addressing both the symptoms and root cause of air pollution problems.
Generally speaking, these six measures can summarized succinctly in four key points: firstly, given that the idea and direction of pollution control defined by the ten specific measures is correct, we need to consolidate and promote them and continue to develop the overall plan with direct targets.
Secondly, the restructuring in the energy and transportation industries will lead to tremendous progress in air pollution reduction. We should adhere to the leading position of science and technology, continue to increase scientific and technological service capacity, and establish the detailed and comprehensive system for governing the atmospheric environment, and promote scientific control of haze.
Thirdly, it is a known fact that the pollution emissions can be reduced by improving air quality. Blue skies can be guaranteed through green development, which is a shared responsibility between governments, enterprises and the public, and which requires either regional cooperation or joint efforts by international community.
Fourthly, winning the Official Blue Sky Strategy is the key to meeting people's growing need for a beautiful life, the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects, high-quality economic development and the construction of a Beautiful China. We believe that that our Official Blue Sky Strategy will satisfy people's longing for a return to fine weather and an array of shining stars.
