Beijing to impose stricter Level 5 emissions standards in 2012

Beijing has a pollution problem, but that's not surprising since most major cities across the globe battle with dense smog on a regular basis. However, the Chinese capital will take a dramatic step towards reducing pollutants by imposing Level V emissions standards in 2012. While speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Congress, Zhang Lijun, the country's vice-minister of environmental protection, announced that:

Beijing will impose the national standard V for vehicle emission in 2012 ahead of schedule, which will be around the same time a similar standard is imposed in developed countries.

Beijing's decision to move to the stricter Level V (based on Euro 5 guidelines) emissions standards will likely reduce air pollution substantially, according to Chinese environmental officials. The number of vehicles on Beijing's roads exceeds five million and some studies claim that more than three quarters of all the air pollution in the city spews from those tailpipes. So, if the autos pollute less, the smog should diminish.

[Source: Xinhuanet | Image: David Barrie – C.C. License 2.0]