As the government looks to tackle the stubborn smog choking the national capital region (NCR), flagging vehicular pollution and calling for a shift to electric vehicles (EVs), China’s action plan for curbing air pollution in its capital city offers some actionable cues.

Beijing’s transformation — from one of the world’s most polluted cities to among the ones with the cleanest air — was built on a strong policy framework accompanied by a blueprint fostering cooperation across sectors, including private and state-owned enterprises, offering a replicable pathway. Its success could serve as a model for other cities worldwide.

Despite registering a consistently blistering economic growth rate of close to 10 per cent for over two decades, China has significantly improved its air quality in the last decade of its near double-digit growth, testified by the number of days with heavy pollution dropping sharply and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations tapering off sharply after the Covid-19 pandemic.

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