The communiqu é of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposed to continue to deepen the fight against pollution and optimize the ecosystem, and accelerate the construction of a new energy system. How to further improve the environmental air quality during the 15th Five Year Plan period remains a focus of people's attention. In fact, the "Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Comprehensively Promoting the Construction of a Beautiful China" released in 2023 has clearly stated that by 2027, the average concentration of fine particulate matter in China will be reduced to below 28 micrograms per cubic meter, and cities at or above the local level will strive to meet the standards; By 2035, the concentration of fine particulate matter in China will decrease to below 25 micrograms per cubic meter. It can be foreseen that the requirements for improving air quality during the 15th Five Year Plan period will further increase, and the reduction of atmospheric pollutants, as the fundamental path to improving air quality, will also implement stricter standards.
From the current situation, the average PM2.5 concentration in 339 cities in China fluctuated between 29 micrograms per cubic meter and 30 micrograms per cubic meter from 2021 to 2024. As of 2024, about 25% of cities still have an annual average PM2.5 concentration that does not meet current air quality standards, with some cities having an average PM2.5 concentration exceeding 40 micrograms per cubic meter. It can be seen that there is still a lot of work urgently needed to be carried out between the actual pressure of emission reduction and achieving emission reduction expectations.
Where can we make breakthroughs in further reducing atmospheric pollutants? The author believes that in the future, the potential for emission reduction should be explored by promoting a comprehensive green transformation of the economy and society. Specifically, considerable emission reduction efficiency can be released through the adjustment of the four major structures of energy, industry, transportation, and space.
Strengthen the foundation of green power through energy structure adjustment. China is accelerating the construction of a new energy system, optimizing the operation mechanism of "source grid load storage integration", and continuously increasing the proportion of new energy supply. With the expansion of new energy power production capacity and technological iteration, the marginal cost of new energy power generation is expected to further decrease. Coupled with policy guidance and support, its electricity price may show a downward trend. This will provide a systematic solution to address the core constraints of electricity substitution in various fields, namely electricity economy and supply stability. The improvement of electricity efficiency will strongly support the process of "coal to electricity, gas to electricity" in the industrial sector and "oil to electricity" in the transportation sector, thereby significantly reducing atmospheric pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions.
Deepen governance in key areas through industrial restructuring. With the advancement of production and governance technologies, China will continue to improve its laws, regulations, standard system, and policy framework, and promote the upgrading and transformation of traditional industries. Key industries such as thermal power, steel, cement, and coking have gradually achieved ultra-low emissions, while industries such as glass, ceramics, and household waste treatment are being deeply regulated and orderly promoted. The emission concentration limits for SO2 and NOx in various industries will be significantly reduced. At the same time, advanced environmental performance ratings and various green initiatives are being carried out in depth, and the comprehensive VOCs management system is constantly improving. Key issues such as waste gas collection, end of pipe treatment, and source substitution will gradually be resolved. By combining energy-saving transformation with fossil energy substitution, the level of clean production in China's industries will be further improved, and pollutant emissions are expected to significantly decrease.
Breaking through the bottleneck of pollution control through the adjustment of transportation structure. With the continuous deepening of industrial source pollution control, the contribution of mobile sources to urban air pollutant emissions is gradually increasing. In most cities, it has become the largest pollution source or the second largest pollution source close to the first pollution source, becoming a key shortcoming that restricts the continuous improvement of air quality. Currently, with the rapid maturity of the new energy vehicle industry, continuous breakthroughs in battery technology and energy replenishment systems are driving it to surpass traditional fuel vehicles in areas such as performance, economy, and environmental protection. According to data from the Ministry of Public Security, as of June 2025, the total number of automobiles in China reached 359 million, of which 36.89 million were new energy vehicles, accounting for 10.27%. In the future, with the accelerated elimination of old vehicles and the continuous increase in the penetration rate of new energy vehicles, their proportion is expected to gradually reach 30% or even higher, while the proportion of traditional fuel vehicles will gradually decrease from around 90% to below 70%. Taking the 30% contribution of mobile sources in the average PM2.5 concentration of 29.3 micrograms per cubic meter in a certain city as an example, it is estimated that when the proportion of traditional fuel vehicles decreases and mobile sources reduce emissions by 20% and 40%, the PM2.5 concentration can be reduced by about 2 micrograms per cubic meter and 4 micrograms per cubic meter, respectively, with significant emission reduction benefits. In some key areas with higher contribution rates of mobile sources, this reduction may be more prominent.
Optimize source layout control through spatial structure adjustment. The adjustment of spatial structure (including national spatial planning and development, construction, operation and maintenance models) also plays an important role in improving air quality that cannot be ignored. The single center agglomeration development model has significantly constrained the improvement of air quality in some mega cities and numerous "industry city integration" and "industrial encirclement" cities. Promoting the transformation of urban development models from single center agglomeration to multi center, clustered, and networked, and relieving high emission enterprises in central urban areas and surrounding areas, is an important measure to further improve urban air quality.
At present, China has planned a clear implementation path for improving air quality and building a beautiful China from the top-level design level. The trend of continuous improvement in air quality is unstoppable. Looking back at the past, various regions have achieved very positive results in atmospheric governance. Looking ahead to the future, we should maintain confidence and fully tap into the potential for improving air quality in the process of promoting green and low-carbon transformation of the economy and society, in order to achieve the goal of building a beautiful China.
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