Polluted cities to be punished

BEIJING – A top official with China’s environmental watchdog says that the government plans to warn investors away from cities that fail to meet national air quality standards over several years.

A blacklist of cities with pollution levels above an unspecified government-set standard will be regularly published, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The State Environmental Protection Administration “will issue risk warnings to investors who consider investing” in cities that remain on the blacklist for an unspecified number of years, Xinhua said citing Zhang Lijun, the administration’s deputy director.Two decades of rapid industrialisation have left China’s cities and much of the countryside cloaked in a haze of noxious smog.A sharp rise in private car ownership has added increased levels of vehicle exhaust to the mix.No timetable was specified for implementing the blacklist or penalty system.The State Environmental Protection Administration, or SEPA, monitors China’s environmental quality but has limited enforcement powers.- Nampa-APThe State Environmental Protection Administration “will issue risk warnings to investors who consider investing” in cities that remain on the blacklist for an unspecified number of years, Xinhua said citing Zhang Lijun, the administration’s deputy director.Two decades of rapid industrialisation have left China’s cities and much of the countryside cloaked in a haze of noxious smog.A sharp rise in private car ownership has added increased levels of vehicle exhaust to the mix.No timetable was specified for implementing the blacklist or penalty system.The State Environmental Protection Administration, or SEPA, monitors China’s environmental quality but has limited enforcement powers.- Nampa-AP