Residents in Beijing have been reaping the fruits of China's efforts to "bring back the blue skies" in the country as the US embassy smog reading results indicate.
A victory that was once only envisioned, Beijing may have finally won its battle against smog and pollution as the city begins to enjoy the benefits of a much cleaner air.
According to the Bloomberg report, out of the seven lowest monthly smog readings conducted in the Chinese capital since 2008, five have been recorded since the summer of 2017.
The data gathered by the US Embassy in Beijing, and as cited by the media outlet, point out to the drastic drop of the city's smog concentration with close to 30 percent rate just for this year.
This dramatic change occurring across Northern China, with Beijing included, is not just about the favorable weather conditions that have been happening in the past three months. Apparently, the majority of these changes have to be attributed to the strenuous efforts of the Xi Jinping administration to reduce smog and bring back the clean air for its citizens.
Political experts concur to the findings saying that the improvement in Beijing's air quality is definitely the result of China's long-term commitment to combat climate change.
Since 2013, Xi Jinping's office has been implementing strict regulations, if not, strong-arm tactics, in order to create a much visible positive environmental impact.
Among the changes pushed by the central government and imposed by the local authorities is the shift in the use of fuel. Residential and business establishments were required to ditch coal as a conventional energy source and instead opt for cleaner-burning natural gas.
In the previous report from the Times of India, the municipal government of Beijing was at the forefront in monitoring the complete compliance of the said policy. This resulted in a sweeping change in fuel-use whereby industrial power and home heating were now powered by alternative sources.
Furthermore, the global oil market also benefited on Beijing's clean air act. Because coal is now out of the picture, the country has to import a huge amount of natural gas to fire up its industries and homes.
Apparently, this was just the top of the iceberg. Beijing, in itself, promulgates its own anti-smog policies that are in line with the administration's programs.
According to the findings of the energy finance studies at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis in Australia, this is China's "very clear" message to the world of its intention to see the realization of its promise to "bring back the blue skies."
