China’s State Council has released a national plan on environmental improvements for the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020), detailing tasks to cleanse polluted air, water and soil. The plan set the goals of a more environmentally friendly way of living, considerable reduction of major pollutants, effective control of environmental risks, and a sounder ecological system by 2020. To achieve those targets, the State Council asked Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, as well as regions along the Yangtze River Economic Belt to draw up a red line, or bottom line, for ecological protection by the end of 2017, while other areas should come up with a red line before the end of 2018. Consumption of coal, which is a major source of pollution in China, will be strictly controlled. Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, regions along the Pearl River and Yangtze River Delta, and the 10 cities […]