BEIJING, Jan. 14-- China's top environmental watchdog has reiterated its ambition to fight environmental pollution in 2020, as positive results have been reaped through efforts to clean up the environment in the past year. "Practice has proved that the current direction and path of pollution control are correct and should be adhered to and improved in the long run," said Li Ganjie, minister of ecology and environment, at the ministry's two-day annual work conference which ended on Monday. Any one-size-fits-all approach in environmental governance should be avoided, while accurate and scientific methods in pollution control should be promoted, Li said. In air pollution control, the year 2020 will be the deadline to meet targets set by a three-year action plan issued by the State Council in 2018 to fight air pollution. The total emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide will be cut by more than 15 percent by 2020 compared with 2017, according to the plan. The density of PM2.5, small particulate matter that causes smog, in prefecture-level cities that did not meet standards will drop by more than 18 percent compared with 2017. In prefecture-level cities, the ratio of days with good air quality will reach 80 percent, and the ratio of days with severe pollution will drop by more than 25 percent in 2020 compared with 2017, according to the plan. In water pollution control, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE) will launch an investigation of sewage outlets entering the Yellow River, Li said. At the same time, the sewage outlets along the Yangtze River and near the Bohai Sea will be more traceable, he said. |