Atmospheric pollution: the battle for a blue sky. 'La Jaune et la Rouge', March 2019, Nr 743

Whereas high levels of air pollution are an urgent social and public health challenge in China, this article discusses the Chinese policy for the struggle against air pollution on the short term, notably in synergy with the climate challenge for 2030-2050. After having evoked some public health consequences and the importance of particulate matter pollutions, the author outlines that urban growth is one of the main causes of this high level of pollution. This resulted in the introduction of new standards for vehicle emissions and the leaving out of the most polluting vehicles. This policy also comprised the reduction of the use of coal, but however with a lack of application by nearly all the cities. Some other aspects are then discussed like the strategic importance of the inventory of atmospheric emissions, the integration of the air-climate-energy struggle into the recent five-year plan. The author finally evokes the French-Chinese collaboration.