Major cities experience drop in air pollutants, greenhouse gases

Economy continues its expansion as emissions of CO2 per unit of GDP falls

China has managed to reduce the emission of major air pollutants and greenhouse gases while maintaining economic growth over the past six years, a report has found.

China's GDP grew by 39 percent and its energy consumption increased by 11 percent from 2013 to 2018. During that time, the average density of PM2.5 particulate matter and sulfur dioxide in 74 major Chinese cities that adopted new air quality standards in 2012 went down by 42 percent and 68 percent respectively, according to the China Air Quality Improvement Report.