In
an effort to reduce the polluting smog engulfing many cities in China the Daily
Mail is reporting that the Chinese Government has been cracking down on
high-emission transport, resulting in a vast scrapyards containing thousands of
buses, cars and trucks that do not meet the minimum emissions
standards. Gigantic mounds of vehicles have
even formed at landfill sites.
The
initiative was sparked by reports that the air in the capital, Beijing, was 20 times over the
air pollution limit considered healthy by the World Health Organisation,
with emissions from vehicles accounting for 30-40% of the problem. The extent
of the problem can be seen in Hangzhou, one of China's most picturesque
cities, which in 2013 registered 239 days of smog, equating to almost 90 days
more than the annual average.
The
increasingly affluent Chinese society has seen a 400% increase in personal income
over the last 15 years, resulting in a boom in private car ownership - there is
currently one car for every two people in the city. The huge numbers of vehicles and a lack of
high-quality fuels are mainly responsible for the dense smog.
From
January, new vehicles have to comply with ‘National Standard IV’ emission
levels that theoretically guarantee seven times less sulphur emissions than the
previous standard for diesel and three times less for petrol. But currently the
high grade fuel needed represents just 3% of the market in China, due to
the lack of availability, forcing most people to continue to use low-grade,
high-emissions fuels.
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