[Weekly Preview] As Air Quality Continues to Improve, What Will New Standards Bring? (AI Translation)
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文｜财新周刊 王硕
By Wang Shuo, Caixin Weekly
2025年2月底，生态环境部大气环境司司长李天威在一次新闻发布会上透露，生态环境部已于2022年启动了新一轮《环境空气质量标准》（下称“空气国标”）的修订工作，目前在实施情况评估、人体健康影响和标准限值修订等方面的研究已取得积极进展。
At the end of February 2025, Li Tianwei, Director-General of the Department of Atmospheric Environment at the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, revealed at a press conference that the ministry had launched a new round of revisions to the "Ambient Air Quality Standards" (hereinafter referred to as the "National Air Standards") in 2022. According to Li, significant progress has already been made in areas such as implementation assessment, research on human health impacts, and the revision of standard limits.
这是中国政府首次公开新一轮空气国标修订的进展情况。在此之前，学界和业内专家已呼吁多年。
This marks the first time the Chinese government has publicly disclosed progress on a new round of revisions to the national air quality standards. Prior to this, academics and industry experts had been calling for such updates for many years.
中国首个环境空气质量标准于1982年制定并发布实施，之后经历1996年、2000年和2012年三次修订。1996年版空气国标中，PM10被列入控制标准。第三次修订2008年启动，2012年正式发布。2011年秋冬，细颗粒物（PM2.5）闯入公众视野。公众意愿强烈、集中的表达，最终PM2.5首次被纳入监测。
China's first national ambient air quality standard was formulated and implemented in 1982, and has since undergone revisions in 1996, 2000, and 2012. In the 1996 version of the national air quality standard, PM10 was included as a controlled pollutant. The third revision process began in 2008 and was officially released in 2012. During the autumn and winter of 2011, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) entered the public spotlight. Strong and widespread public demand led to PM2.5 being included in monitoring for the first time.
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- China began revising its national air quality standard in 2022, a process publicly announced in February 2025 by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.
- The existing 2012 standard set an annual PM2.5 limit of 35 micrograms/cubic meter, a level China's average PM2.5 concentration has met for five consecutive years, reaching 29.3 micrograms/cubic meter in 2024.
- Proposed revisions suggest stricter PM2.5 limits—25 micrograms/cubic meter by 2025, then 15 and 10 micrograms/cubic meter by 2035 and 2050, respectively—to further protect public health and guide continued air quality improvement.
In late February 2025, Director Li Tianwei of the Air Quality Division at China's Ministry of Ecology and Environment announced progress in revising the national Ambient Air Quality Standards (AAQS). Launched in 2022, the new round of revision is making advances in implementation assessment, health impact studies, and limit value adjustments. This marks the first time the Chinese government has publicly updated on the revision process, following years of expert and academic advocacy for more stringent standards [para. 1][para. 2].
China's AAQS was first established in 1982 and subsequently revised in 1996, 2000, and 2012. Significantly, PM10 became regulated in 1996, and the third revision, launched in 2008 and enacted in 2012, added PM2.5 to the monitoring scope—largely due to public demand after alarming smog episodes. The 2012 AAQS set a PM2.5 annual average concentration limit (Grade II) of 35 µg/m³, aligning with WHO’s first-phase transitional goal. The next WHO guideline steps are 25, 15, and 10 µg/m³ [para. 3][para. 4].
Ministry data show that in 2024, China's national mean PM2.5 concentration was 29.3 µg/m³, marking five consecutive years under the 35 µg/m³ threshold and the second instance below 30 µg/m³. Of 339 monitored cities, 252 met the standard (about 74%), with half of them below 25 µg/m³. Beijing’s 2024 level was 30.5 µg/m³, maintaining compliance for four years [para. 5][para. 6].
Experts, such as CAS academician Zhu Tong, argue the current standard now lacks impetus for further improvement, since most cities comply and many already surpass the norm. They advocate for a timely, forward-looking revision to continue driving air quality improvement [para. 7][para. 8].
Air quality improvements have been steep over the last decade. For example, in 2013—the first year of PM2.5 monitoring under the 2012 AAQS—Beijing’s annual average was 89.5 µg/m³ with 58 heavy pollution days. In the first two months of 2025, PM2.5 in Beijing dropped to 26.8 µg/m³, its lowest on record for that period [para. 9][para. 10][para. 11].
The AAQS sets enforceable limits and guides policy, underpinning key national initiatives such as the Air Pollution Action Plan (“Atmospheric Ten Articles”) of 2013-2017, followed by successive blue sky protection campaigns. In 2013, only three cities met the PM2.5 standard; by 2024, 252 did [para. 12][para. 14][para. 16].
However, air quality gains are not uniform, as some cities in central and western China have seen recent PM2.5 increases, with localized reversals attributed to local industrial patterns or climate events [para. 24][para. 25].
China’s air pollution control is seen as compatible with economic growth, as cities like Tangshan improved air quality while joining the “trillion-yuan GDP club.” Cost-benefit assessments show air improvement investments yield net positive outcomes [para. 28].
With air quality improvement slowing and end-of-pipe control measures nearing exhaustion, structural reforms—especially in energy, industry, and transportation—are needed. According to research, if China meets its 2060 carbon neutrality target and tightens air standards, population-weighted PM2.5 exposure could be reduced to 8 µg/m³, with the majority below WHO’s 10 µg/m³ benchmark [para. 57].
A key issue for the new standard is what limit to set. The WHO updated its PM2.5 guideline in 2021 from 10 to 5 µg/m³. In 2024, the US and EU tightened their standards to 9 and 10 µg/m³ respectively. Scholars propose that China’s AAQS should gradually tighten the PM2.5 annual limit to 25 µg/m³ by 2025, 15 µg/m³ by 2035, and 10 µg/m³ by 2050 [para. 62][para. 63].
Policy makers, however, stress a balance between ambition and feasibility, avoiding rash “shock therapy” and preferring gradual tightening based on scientific, economic, and technical grounds. Any new revision will mean stricter limits and compliance pressure, requiring a careful mix of guidance and realistic implementation timelines [para. 71][para. 72][para. 74].
In summary, China’s AAQS revision reflects both past success and current challenges in air management, aiming for health protection, practical enforceability, and synergy with climate and green development goals, while navigating the complex tradeoffs between rapid improvement and economic realities [para. 81][para. 86].
- Energy Foundation
能源基金会 - The Energy Foundation, along with other institutions, co-published a research report titled "Revising Air Quality Standards to Protect Public Health." This report advocates for updated air quality standards in China.
- 1982：
- China's first national ambient air quality standard was formulated and implemented.
- 1996：
- The first revision of the national air quality standard took place; PM10 was included as a controlled pollutant.
- 2000：
- The national air quality standard was revised again.
- 2008：
- The third revision process of the national air quality standard began.
- Autumn and Winter 2011：
- PM2.5 entered the public spotlight in China.
- 2012：
- The third revision of the national ambient air quality standard was officially released.
- 2013：
- The 2012 National Ambient Air Quality Standard was implemented in Beijing; annual average PM2.5 concentration was 89.5 μg/m³; January 2013 saw PM2.5 reach 160 μg/m³; only three cities (Haikou, Zhoushan, and Lhasa) met the standard among 74 key cities monitored nationwide.
- 2013–2017：
- China implemented the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan ('Ten Measures for Air') with the main goal of reducing PM2.5 concentrations.
- 2014：
- 161 cities monitored air quality under the 2012 standard; only 16 met the annual average air quality standard that year.
- 2015：
- All 338 prefecture-level cities and above began monitoring PM2.5, ozone, and other pollutants under new standards; national average PM2.5 concentration was 50 μg/m³; only 73 cities (21.6%) met air quality standards.
- Late 2015–Early 2016：
- The Chinese Academy of Engineering conducted a mid-term evaluation of the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan at the request of the former Ministry of Environmental Protection.
- By January 1, 2016：
- The 2012 edition of China's national air quality standard was fully implemented nationwide.
- 2017：
- Beijing's annual average PM2.5 concentration was 58 μg/m³, achieving the 'Beijing 60' target.
- 2018–2020：
- China implemented the three-year 'Blue Sky Protection Campaign Action Plan.'
- 2020：
- National annual average PM2.5 concentration fell to 33 μg/m³; Beijing’s PM2.5 dropped below 40 μg/m³ for first time (38 μg/m³); 202 cities (59.9%) met standards; Shanghai's air quality met standards across the board for the first time.
- 2021：
- Beijing met national secondary air quality standard for PM2.5 for the first time with concentration at 33 μg/m³.
- 2021–2024：
- Beijing maintained compliance with air quality standards for four consecutive years.
- 2022：
- National annual PM2.5 concentration dropped below 30 μg/m³ (29 μg/m³); another round of revisions to the Ambient Air Quality Standards was launched.
- 2022 and 2024：
- National annual average PM2.5 concentrations fell below 30 μg/m³ (29 μg/m³ and 29.3 μg/m³, respectively).
- 2023：
- Sustained Air Quality Improvement Action Plan (2023–2025) began; early in the year, pollution events affected Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and surrounding areas; March 2023, Beijing had 14 polluted days; April 2023, northern China was hit by sandstorms.
- November 2023：
- China’s third national-level atmospheric pollution action plan ('Action Plan for Continuous Air Quality Improvement (2023–2025)') was introduced.
- January 2024：
- A team from Peking University and other institutions released the research report 'Revising Air Quality Standards to Protect Public Health.'
- February 2024：
- The United States tightened its annual average PM2.5 concentration standard limit to 9 μg/m³.
- June 2024：
- Central Environmental Inspection Team reported PM2.5 concentrations in Jingzhou, Huanggang, and Xiaogan have risen year by year since 2020, with 2023 levels substantially higher than in 2021.
- October 2024：
- The European Union approved a proposal to update its air quality standards, reducing the annual PM2.5 limit to 10 μg/m³.
- December 2024：
- Clean Air Asia (CAA) reported that nine cities in Hubei and Sichuan saw annual average PM2.5 concentrations rise 8.5–30.8% in 2023 compared to 2020.
- 2023 and 2024：
- Many countries in Europe and North America revised and adopted stricter air quality standards, with PM2.5 limit values closer to the WHO AQG2021 recommendation.
- March 18, 2025：
- Beijing Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau released data showing January–February 2025 PM2.5 levels at a record low.
- As of April 21, 2025：
- Caixin Weekly publishes article summarizing progress and revisions of China's national air quality standards.
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