Authorities in Beijing say it will be at least two decades before they can get air pollution under control, after the Chinese capital almost topped a recent list of the world’s most polluted cities.
The city authorities in Beijing have been stung by a wave of criticism of the accuracy of their pollution figures.
They are now trying to convince a sceptical public that they have a credible plan to tackle the problem.
Vice-mayor Hong Feng said the best the city could hope for was to have air pollution under control within the next 20 years.
He said that would include one of the biggest threats to health – the tiny particles in the air – that until a recent controversy were not even measured by the Beijing authorities.
The city has released a three-stage plan that includes the removal from the streets of hundreds and thousands of old taxis and new restrictions on the burning of coal.
