Cities need to improve public transport to reduce air pollution

AT A RECENT environmental supervision conference, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said it had finished analyzing the chief air pollution sources in nine major cities nationwide. Exhaust fume from vehicles was the major pollutant in Beijing, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and Shenzhen. Vehicle exhaust emissions and dust were the primary pollutants in Tianjin, Shanghai and Ningbo. Comments:

Having tracked pollution sources, the next step is to curb them. According to our research, automobiles account for a higher percentage of pollutants when there is severe pollution, because other pollution sources are more stable. In order to reduce the number of days with extreme smog, we advise city authorities to limit the use of automobiles on those days.

Chai Fahe, deputy dean at China Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, April 2