Although China’s Law on Environmental Protection was issued in 1979, at the very initial stage of China’s industrialization and urbanization, due to lack of enforcement, this law and the numerous environmental regulations and standards under the law have failed to curb environmental degradation caused by fast-growing fossil fuel combustion and motorization. Despite the adoption of ambitious energy efficiency and pollutant reduction targets, only 2.4% of China’s medium and large cities met the State’s ‘Grade One’ air quality standards[1] in 2007.
Almost 70 percent of the urban population, more than 360 million people, lives in areas where air quality is considered hazardous by World Health Organization standards.
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