Greenpeace City Rankings 2015 Summary

Greenpeace East Asia’s 2015 annual city rankings show that average PM2.5 concentration in 189 cities around China fell by 10% compared to 2014 levels. However, 80% of a set of 366 cities in China still fail to meet the national standard on air quality. Moreover, the smog experienced by Beijing and other cities across northern China this winter is a reminder of the steps which must be taken to clean China’s skies. With the announcement of the 13th Five Year Plan, China’s long-term policy blueprint, just around the corner in March, now is an opportune moment for the government to take decisive action on air pollution via a nationwide cap on the consumption of coal, China’s number one source of air pollutants.