A report from China says more than U$1.65 billion will be offered to those regions of the world’s biggest polluter that successfully cut air pollution levels.
Having tried to deliver improvements in air quality through a raft of new legislation, the Chinese government is now reportedly turning to the promise of cash rewards as part of its latest effort to tackle the country’s worsening smog crisis.
According to Bloomberg newsagency China’s Economic Observer has revealed that regional governments are being offered up to US$1.65bn in cash rewards if they deliver on emission reduction targets this year.
Citing comments from Zhou Shengxian, China’s minister of environmental protection, the paper reported that the new scheme would see regional governments paid directly based on their performance against targets to cut emissions of NOX, SOX and particulates.
The news follows reports that demanding new emission reduction targets have been imposed on a host of cities and regions.
Under the new targets, Beijing, Tianjin and the province of Hebei will have to cut emissions of PM2.5 particles by 25 per cent by 2017.
At the same time Shanghai and the eastern provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shandong and northern Shanxi have been tasked with cutting emissions by 20 per cent.
Bloomberg reports China’s government is under mounting pressure to deliver on its promised smog crackdown, with officials increasingly concerned that the problem could fuel social unrest and undermine investment in the country.
A substantial number of measures have been introduced in the past 12 months, including demanding new targets to accelerate the roll out of renewable energy technologies.
AS well new powers now allow regional governments to close the most polluting factories and limit the use of cars in smog-choked urban centres.
However, concerns remain that many local governments are failing to make full use of the new powers.
At the same time soaring economic growth is driving the development of new factories that are serving to further increase pollution levels in some regions
