China Uses Satellites and AI to Ramp Up Pollution Crackdown
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China’s environmental watchdog is conducting fewer boots-on-the-ground inspections but uncovering more violations, a shift officials attribute to an expanding arsenal of surveillance satellites, artificial intelligence and big-data algorithms.
The Ministry of Ecology and Environment reported that while the number of on-site checks nationwide dropped by nearly 40% in 2025, the rate at which authorities detected problems rose by between 10 and 25 percentage points. Pei Xiaofei, the ministry’s director of publicity and education, attributed the efficiency gains to the deployment of 204,000 “non-site” law enforcement inspections over the course of the year.
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- China's environmental inspections in 2025 dropped by nearly 40%, but violation detection rates rose by 10–25 percentage points due to increased use of AI, satellites, and big-data tools.
- Authorities identified 9,182 illegal solid waste sites and cleared 196 million tons of debris; digital strategies led to 342 leads and 75 formal cases.
- Regulators are coordinating more closely with law enforcement and waiving penalties for 8,947 minor, swiftly corrected violations.
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