World Environment Day: How Beijing reduced air pollution without affecting economic growth
Demolishing the argument that environmental concerns are detrimental to the economy.
The United Nations has shared the success story of Beijing in a video as part of its #BeatAirPollution campaign for World Environment Day, which is
Beijing has managed to reduce the level of suspended fine particles in its air by 35% in five years. According to the UN, “no other city on the planet has achieved such a rapid reduction of air pollution”.
The Chinese capital achieve this feat with a combination of factors like improved standards for vehicles and fuels, electrifying public transport, reducing dependence on coal energy, and more. In spite – or even because of – of all these measures, Beijing’s economic output grew ten times in the last 20 years.