蓝天保卫战(lántiān bǎowèizhàn):Make our skies blue again

Reporters broadcast news of the opening of the fifth plenary session of the 12th National People's Congress in Tian'anmen Square, east of the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing on Sunday.[Photo by Jiang Dong/China Daily]

Delivering the Government Work Report to the fifth plenary session of the 12th National People's Congress in Beijing on Sunday, Premier Li Keqiang vowed the government would be resolute in fighting air pollution so that people enjoy more blue-sky days. He said effective steps will be taken to tackle air pollution and "make our skies blue again".

According to the report, both sulfur dioxide and oxynitride emissions are expected to decline by 3 percent this year, and there will be a sharp decline in the density of fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, in key areas. Particles that are smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter are especially harmful to human health.

"Faster progress in the work of improving the environment, particularly air quality, is what people are desperately hoping for, and it's critical to sustainable development," Li said.

To achieve the goal of defending blue sky, the Government Work Report pointed out that the authorities will accelerate solving the problem of pollution caused by coal burning and promote control of pollution sources in an all-round way.

In addition, management of vehicle emissions will also be strengthened in order to prevent the severe smog that frequently smothers large swathes of the country.