PM 2.5: China Government’s Plan

PM 2.5 is the culprit for year-round grey skies in China. (Photo: Elsie Zhang)

The term for heavy air pollution in China, “PM2.5” (The particular matter in the air that makes the air appear hazy, for those of you wondering) is well known globally. In Guangzhou, the air quality was branded as the ‘freshly baked pollution’ because of the numerous amounts of factories that created “PM2.5”. However, the government took action by proposing a PM2.5 three-year plan.

PM2.5 can cause many health concerns which include: respiratory disease, damages of lungs, infections, shortened life span, and other organ damage. PM2.5 is a big problem because it exists in the air so it’s almost impossible to prevent PM2.5 from entering in our lungs. Due to the symptoms, the government decided to take action and designed a five-year plan to improve China’s air quality.

The government’s target is to decrease the PM2.5 by 25%, by the end of year 2021. Since this target has been made, they decided to test factories that gives out harmful smog, to ensure that they find a way to solve the problem or decrease the amount of smog.

Professionals have pointed out that not every place in China has the problem of PM2.5. They said that Guangzhou’s PM2.5 was because of the highly concentrated fireworks that are used during festivities like New Year’s eve, Chinese New Year, and even in some traditional Chinese weddings . If the chemical energy of the fireworks is reduced during these celebrations, then it would help clear and thin out the thick PM2.5.

Pollution does not form overnight, they accumulate and eventually form into PM2.5. The same way, pollution does not clean overnight – time is needed for clearing the pollution. The government has already taken action. If you’re wondering how YOU can contribute to helping the environment, we can plant more plantations in order to help clear the pollution. Let’s help Guangzhou!