Warm winter may slow smog controls

As the winter heating season starts in many populous northern areas such as Beijing and Hebei province on Wednesday, officials are saying the forecast of a warmer winter is likely to make it harder to disperse air pollutants.

Environment and weather authorities warned governments that means they need to take stronger anti-pollution efforts this winter.

"Based on the data and analysis, it's highly likely we will have a warmer winter, producing a negative influence on air pollution control, especially for Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and Yangtze River Delta," said Wang Yongguang, chief climatologist at the National Climate Center.