The Head of the Monitoring Division of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Luo Yi, says air quality will be listed as an assessment index.
"449 monitoring stations have been established, monitoring air quality factors such as PM2.5. From Jan.1 2014, local environmental protection websites will work with China's environment monitoring center to launch instant air quality information and monthly reports to the public. Also, these cities will be ranked according to air quality, That is to say, local government performance will be assessed by this factor."
74 cities in China now have new air quality standards, which have added PM2.5 and ozone as monitoring indicators to address worsening air pollution.
According to the plan, 338 cities would publicize air quality information by the end of 2015.
A report released by the Chinese Academy of Sciences suggests that industrial pollution is the biggest source of the PM 2.5 problem, which causes smog in cities like Beijing.
Secondary inorganic aerosols, sulfates and nitrates, are responsible for 26 percent of Beijing's PM 2.5, followed by industrial production and coal burning at 25 percent and 18 percent.
Car emissions and waste incineration only account for 4 percent of the capital's PM 2.5.
The report also suggests that regional cooperation is important for combating pollution.
Zhu Jianping is deputy director of the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Beijing.
"By the end of June next year, Beijing, Tianjin, and Shi jiazhuang will be required to offer initial results of their pollution analysis. By the end of 2014, all 3-key regions, including cities around Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, will be ordered to complete the same work."
For CRI, this is Lucy Du.
