Clean air campaign requires institutional approach

A series of smog control measures are being taken to ensure clean air during the APEC meeting in Beijing in November. On Friday, Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli demanded temporary factory shutdowns and vehicle controls during the meeting.

Aside from the official agenda of the high-profile meeting, the quality of Beijing's air after major world leaders descend on the city has been an eye-catching topic in the media. Some are scornful that clearing the air, rather than anything else, seems the "APEC challenge" for China in the countdown.

Chai Fahe, vice-president of the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, said on Saturday that pollutant discharge in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region is expected to decrease by 30-40 percent during the APEC meeting. According to Chai, even if bad air pollution happens at that time, strong measures will be taken to ensure good air quality during the gathering.

At the moment, a systematic battle is unfolding. Domestic experts believe that Beijing is resorting to the 2008 "Olympic model" in dealing with air pollution, but the challenge this time is bigger due to tougher weather conditions in autumn and winter. On the other hand, in the past five years, Beijing has issued a series of action plans on air pollution control, and thus has come up with more sophisticated procedures and operational schemes.

Nonetheless, the biggest concern remains that these are just temporary measures, which, if practiced on a longer basis, would exert great impacts on the national economy and people's livelihoods.

Since June, Beijing has shut down more than 300 polluting factories, eliminated old furnaces and sub-standard vehicles and closed some of its power plants.

During the APEC meeting, some construction sites will be ordered to suspend work, and car use will be restricted based on the odd-even number plate system.

Society can operate on these temporary rules for this special period. And some of the special measures, including taking a few days off, have been adopted in other countries ahead of significant events. But still, the key to combating air pollution lies in adopting normalized and institutionalized methods.

It is difficult to keep this balance. Some of the methods used in this special period may provide a reference for long-term plans.

For instance, under the top task of ensuring good air quality in November, Beijing and its surrounding regions will work very closely to supervise emissions, publish timely statistics and act jointly in various fields, including logistics and industrial regulation.

What's more important is that the basic mentality underwriting it, such as the strong supervision on major pollutant sources and the social will to save energy and cut emissions, will go on.