Difference between revisions of "Timeline of pollution in China"

Latest revision as of 22:00, 25 March 2024

This is a timeline of pollution in China, attempting to describe progression in coping with all kinds of pollution in the country. Incumbent environmental policies are included.

Big picture

Time period	Development summary
1950s	Communist China. Mao Zedong orders that residents north of the river receive free heating from the coal-powered plants.^[1]
1970s	Economic reforms in the late decade encourage economic development, which increases pollution and turn it into a serious problem.^[2] China begins to use law to combat pollution and protect its natural environment.^[3]
1980s	Significant health complications, including respiratory, cardiovascular, and cerebrovascular diseases, are already identified to be the cause of poor air quality in the country.^[2] Levels of air pollution in the main Chinese cities at the beginning of the decade are almost exactly at the level of London at the height of the Industrial Revolution in 1890.^[4]
1990s	High values of PM2.5 and O3 in the country result in an alarming figure of premature deaths.^[5] Beijing is already one of the world's most polluted cities.^[6] The environmental regulatory framework in the country starts expanding rapidly.^[7]
2000s	China becomes the world’s biggest CO2 emitter. By 2008, 16 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world are in China.^[8]
2010s	In 2013 China introduces a national action plan to curb air pollution.^[8] As of 2016, the human-induced carbon dioxide emissions in the country account for approximately 30% of global emissions.^[9] However, introduced policies start showing promising results. China’s coal use declines, and the declining trend accelerates along the decade.^[10]

Full timeline

Year	Month and date	Category	Event type	Details
1972		General	Policy	After the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, the Chinese Government begins to develop environmental institutions.^[2]
1978		Background	Policy	The Chinese Government adopts its open door policy, and starts an era of flourishment of the Chinese economy. This rapid economic development would also lead to serious pollution problems.^[11]
1978	March	General	Policy	The Third Chinese Constitution is issued with inclusion of an environmental commission.^[5]^[12]
1979		General	Policy	The Chinese Government issues an Environmental Protection Law on a trial basis.^[5]^[7]
1981 - 2000		Air pollution	Research	Research shows that air pollution was 55% higher in the northern region of China during the period.^[1]
1982		Water pollution	Policy	The Chinese legislature enacts the Marine Environmental Protection Law.^[3]
1984		Water pollution	Policy	The Chinese legislature enacts the Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law.^[3]
1984			Policy	The Chinese legislature establishes the Forest Law as measure of nature conservation.^[3]
1985			Policy	The Chinese legislature establishes the Grasslands Law as measure of nature conservation.^[3]
1986		Water pollution	Policy	The Fisheries Law is enacted.^[13]
1987		Air pollution	Policy	The Chinese legislature enacts the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law.^[3]
1989		General	Policy	The Chinese Government formally issues an Environmental Protection Law.^[5]^[11]
1990 - 2015		Air pollution	Statistics	According to Global Burden of Disease Study, estimated China’s annual premature deaths attributable to PM2.5 and O3 average values at around 1 to 1.2 million deaths in the period.^[5]
1992		General	Policy	The environmental regulatory framework in the country starts expanding rapidly.^[7]
1993		Water pollution	Policy	The 1984 Water Pollution and Prevention Law is deemed unsatisfactory. Rapid economic growth and resulting pollution makes the law an outdated policy.^[3]
1993		General	Policy	After the Spring Festival, a total number of 308 deputies from National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) propose legislation to ban fireworks and firecrackers strictly.^[14]
1994		General	Policy	The Regulation on Nature Reserves is introduced.^[13]
1995		Solid waste	Policy	The Solid Waste Pollution Prevention and Control Law is enacted.^[13]
1996		Water pollution	Policy	The Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law is amended. 23 articles are adjusted or added, producing a law with 7 chapters and 62 articles. The amendment is part of a stricter and clearer legislation by lawmakers.^[3]
1996		Noise pollution	Policy	The Environmental Noise Pollution Prevention and Control Law is enacted.^[13]
1996		General	Policy	The Regulation on Wild Plant Conservation is introduced.^[13]
1997		General	Policy	The Regulation on Protection of New Plant Varieties is introduced.^[13]
1998		General	Policy	The Wild Fauna Protection Law is enacted.^[13]
1998		General	Policy	The Forest Law is amended.^[13]
1998	October	General	Organization	The Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims is founded by Professor Wang Canfa.^[15]
1999		Water pollution	Policy	The Marine Environment Protection Law is enacted.^[13]
2000		Air pollution	Policy	The Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law is enacted.^[3]^[13]
2000		General	Policy	The Seed Law is enacted.^[13]
2001	December 11	Background	Policy	China joins the World Trade Organization. Since then, manufacturing quickly starts to expand. As a consequence, emissions in the country spike.^[16]
2002		General	Policy	A new Environmental Impact Assessment Law is amended.^[3]^[3]
2003		Air pollution	Statistics	The Chinese Academy for Environmental Planning determines that air pollution is responsible for 411,000 premature deaths across China.^[1]
2003		Radioactive contamination	Policy	The Radioactive Pollution Prevention and Control Law is enacted.^[13]
2003		General	Policy	The Environmental Impact Assessment Law is enacted.^[13]
2004		General	Policy	The Seed Law is amended.^[13]
2004		Solid waste	Statistics	According to the World Bank, China is already the world’s largest municipal solid waste generator.^[17]
2004		General, water pollution	Statistics	The Ministry of Environmental Protection reports 1,221 environmental accidents in the year, most of which are related to water. However, experts believe the figure is vastly underestimated.^[7]
2004		General	Policy	The Wild Fauna Protection Law is amended.^[13]
2005 – 2013		Soil pollution	Research	China conducts a large-scale soil quality sampling analysis nationwide during the period, taking samples across an area of 6.3 million square kilometers, two-thirds of China's land area.^[18]^[19]^[20]
2006 - 2010		Air pollution	Policy	China starts to seriously control air pollution by limiting emissions for each province.^[4]
2006		Water pollution	Statistics	According to environmental authorities, one water pollution accident takes place every two to three days, on average, in the country.^[7]
2006		General	Policy	The Regulation on Scenic Spots and Historical Sites is introduced.^[13]
2007		Air pollution	Statistics	China ranks the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, overtaking the United States for the first time and being responsible for 27 percent of global emissions in the year.^[2]
2007		Climate change		The year is known as China’s “first year of climate change communication research.”^[21]
2007		Water pollution	Research	The Ministry of Environment's 2007 Official Report on China's Environment declares that all seven major rivers in China in general suffer from moderate pollution, and 11 out of the 28 major lakes have a water quality grade rated at the lowest national standard for water quality, which means the water is essentially unusable for any purpose.^[7]
2008	February	Water pollution	Policy	The Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law (WPPCL) is amended to reinforce control.^[7]
2008		Air pollution	Research	Study suggests that reductions in air pollution only happens after the Chinese government creates the Ministry of Environmental Protection. After its creation, among the many changes in environmental policy, the MEP starts to gather reliable SO2 emissions data from continuous emissions monitoring systems (CEMS) at the prefecture level and increases the number of enforcement officials by 17 percent. Further study suggests that reductions in air pollution in China only happens after the creation of the MEP.^[4]
2010		Air pollution	Policy	The Administration Regulations of Ozone Depleting Substances legislation is enacted.^[13]
2010		General	Statistics	The Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection estimates the cost of pollution at around 1.5 trillion RMB (US$227 billion), or roughly 3.5 percent of the GDP.^[2]
2010		Air pollution	Statistics	Chinese census data calculates that nearly half of households primarily use solid fuels for cooking, and four out of five of these households are in rural areas.^[22]
2010		Air pollution	Statistics	The ambient air pollution in China is estimated by the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) to lead to 1.2 million premature deaths from one year’s (2010) exposure in the country.^[5]
2010		General	Policy	The Island Conservation Law is enacted.^[13]
2012	July 28			Qidong protest takes place as an environmental protest against a proposed waste water pipeline in the Chinese city of Qidong.^[23]^[24]
2012 - 2014		Air pollution	Statistics	The National Energy Agency claims that coal use dropped to 64.2 percent of the mix in 2014, down almost two percent from 2012.^[2]
2013	January - February	Air pollution	Crisis	Severe haze covers many provinces and cities in China. The haze with its unprecedentedly high index of PM2.5 concentration and extremely low visibility provoques worldwide concern and eventually becomes known as the “PM2.5 crisis”.^[5]
2013	February	General	Policy	The Operation Green Fence is implemented by the Government of China as an initiative with the purpose to limit the amount of contaminated recyclables and waste that was being imported to the country.^[25]
2013	March	Water pollution	Crisis	More than 7,500 dead pigs are found in the Huangpu river. The news is spread rapidly online. An estimated 16,000 diseased pig carcasses are found in tributaries of the river.^[2]^[26]^[27]^[28]^[29]
2013		Water pollution	Policy	The Fisheries Law is amended.^[13]
2013		General	Policy	The Chinese Government claims declaring war on pollution. Among the efforts to curb smog, these include closing down or moving heavily polluting factories and restrictions on the use of cars.^[30]
2013		Solid waste	Policy	The Solid Waste Pollution Prevention and Control Law is amended.^[13]
2013		General	Crisis	Chinese politician Chen Jiping, the former leading member of the party’s Committee of Political and Legislative Affairs, states that environmental issues are a major reason for “mass incidents” in the country, estimating unofficial gatherings of one hundred or more that range from peaceful protest to rioting.^[2]
2013 onward		Air pollution	Statistics	A spectacular increase of the market for devices that help keep indoor air clean by filtrating outdoor air before it enters the dwelling is experienced, along with increasing use of facial masks, which soon become even available in fashionable patterns, all meant to protect people from breathing polluted air.^[22]
2013	December	Climate change	Policy	The China’s National Development and Reform Commission issues its first nationwide blueprint for climate change, outlining an extensive list of objectives for 2020.^[2]
2014	January	Air pollution, water pollution	Policy	The central government requires fifteen thousand factories, including large state-owned enterprises, to publicly report real-time figures on air emissions and water discharges.^[2]
2014		Air pollution	Statistics	China stands as the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, and is responsible for 27 percent of global emissions in the year.^[2]
2014	March	General	Policy	The Ministry of Finance reports that China would spend 21.1 billion yuan on energy conservation and environmental protection in the year, up 7.1 percent from 2013. An amount of 64.9 billion yuan would be allocated to agriculture, forestry and water conservation, up 8.6 percent.^[31]
2014	March	General	Policy	Chinese Premier Li Keqiang opens the annual meeting of parliament and announces pollution being one of his nine "major tasks" for 2014.^[2]^[31]^[32]^[33]
2014	April	Soil pollution	Statistics	Survey between 2005 to 2013 releases report admitting that in total 16.1% of China's soil is polluted, including 19.4% of the arable land. About 82.8% of the polluted land shows contamination by inorganic materials, with levels noticeably higher than the previous survey between 1986 and 1990.^[34]^[18]
2014	May	General	Policy	The Chinese Government strengthens the country’s Environmental Protection Law for the first time in twenty-five years.^[2]
2014	June	General	Infrastructure	SDAS UAV is introduced as an unmanned aerial vehicle specifically for pollution surveillance missions.^[35]^[36]
2014		Air pollution	Statistics	A record 17 million new cars on the road are calculated in the year, further contributing to China’s high emissions.^[2]
2014	November	Climate change	Policy	In a joint statement on climate change with the United States, China commits to hit its peak carbon emissions by 2030 and to have renewables account for 20 percent of its energy mix by 2030.^[2]
2014		Water pollution	Research	Groundwater supplies in more than 60 percent of major cities are categorized as “bad to very bad,” and more than a quarter of China’s key rivers are considered “unfit for human contact.”^[2]
2014		Air pollution	Policy	China stands as one of the biggest investors in renewables, investing nearly US$90 billion in the year as part of its pledge to cut its carbon intensity, an amount far outspending the United States’ US$51.8 billion.^[2]
2014		Air pollution	Reserch	Approximately 4 billion tons of coal are consumed in the country in the year, more than the rest of the world combined.^[37]
2014		General	Infrastructure	JSYU UAV, a Chinese Unmanned aerial vehicle, is introduced. The device is developed for pollution surveillance and agricultural missions.^[38]^[39]
2015	January 1	General	Policy	China formally begins implementing an updated Environmental Protection Law. This is the first time China's fundamental environmental protection statute is revised since its promulgation in 1989.^[11]
2015		Air pollution	Statistics	The national coal power plant capacity increases by 55 percent in the first six months, 155 new coal-fired plants are approved, and the Chinese Government admits that it has underreported its annual coal consumption since 2000.^[2]
2015	March	Air pollution		The Chinese Government allows its people to watch for one week an environmental documentary exposing Beijing's true pollution levels and the government corruption behind them. The film, titled Under the Dome, is watched by millions of people and goes viral, before being abruptly removed from the Chinese internet.^[2]^[6]
2015	August	Air pollution	Policy	The national government issues the Air Pollution Control Law, which would be implemented starting 2016. Experts believe that although the law is inevitably flawed in some aspects, if 80% of the law can be implemented, it would significantly improve the air quality.^[40]
2015		Air pollution	Statistics	Study estimates about 1.5 million premature deaths in China attributable to PM2.5 exposure in the year, of which about 60 per cent were due to ambient PM2.5 pollution and about 40 per cent to household air pollution.^[22]
2015		Air pollution	Statistics	The rate of deaths attributable to air pollution in the country in the year is estimated at about 115 deaths per 100,000 people. For comparison, the estimated figure for India is 138 deaths per 100,000 people, 49 in Japan, 43 in Western Europe and 31 in the United States.^[22]
2015		Water pollution	Research	A reported 3.78 billion cubic meters of untreated wastewater was discharged across China in the year. This is water that has been ruled unusable for agricultural, industrial and even decorative purposes dumped into rivers and lakes.^[41]
2015	December 12	Air pollution		The first Bluetech Award Ceremony is held in Beijing. It is an annual award presented by the Clean Air Alliance of China (CAAC) to recognize outstanding technologies that prevent and control different forms and sources of air pollution.^[42]
2016		Air pollution	Organization	The Regional Ozone Sino-US Collaborative Research Center is established at Duke Kunshan University. It is the first research institute for ozone pollution control in the country.^[43]
2016	May 31	Soil pollution	Policy	The State Council releases the ‘Soil Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan’ or “Soil Ten Plan”. It aims to "improve soil quality and ensure safe agricultural products resulting in a healthy living environment for China’s population". The plan consists of 231 specific actions, and deadlines are given.^[44]
2016	September	Air pollution	Policy	The Innovative Financing for Air Pollution Control in Jing-Jin-Ji Region Program is launched, with the goal to finance projects helping to reduce coal consumption.^[37]
2017		Air pollution	Policy	President Xi Jinping, on a state visit to Washington, announces that China would initiate a national cap-and-trade emissions program.^[2]^[45]
2017		Air pollution	Research	The Ministry of Environmental Protection calculates an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 43 µg/m3 for China’s cities in 2017, more than 4 times the level of 10 µg/m3 recommended by the World Health Organization.^[4]
2017	June	Water pollution	Policy	The national government makes a second amendment to the Water Pollution Prevention Act.^[46] Based on the first regulation of Water Pollution Prevention Act in 1996, the amendment would increase the punishment for water pollution and the penalty ceiling may be raised to 1 million yuan.^[47]
2017	July	General	Policy	The Operation National Sword is announced by the Government of China as an initiative with the purpose to monitor and more stringently review recyclable waste imports.^[48]
2017	October	Policy	Policy	China halts more than 150 coal-fired power plants after launching first regional Environmental Protection Bureau to consolidate cuts in air pollution following party conference. The measures are a part of an aggressive action plan that aims to cut wintertime particulate pollution by 15% year-on-year over the next five months.^[49]^[50]
2018	January 1	Water pollution	Policy	A revision of the Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law is approved by the National People’s Congress and goes into effect.^[51]
2018	March	General	Research	Four years after declaring war on pollution, research gives promising results, and estimates on longer life expectancy that is possible in the country. In particular, cities have cut concentrations of fine particulates in the air by 32 percent on average, in only four years.^[52]
2018	July	Air pollution	Policy	Government initiates three-year plan to curb air pollution, released, making certain provisions for ozone control, such as compelling manufacturers to repair and replace VOC-emitting installations and applying legal upper limits on VOC concentration in paints, inks, and adhesives.^[43]
2018	July	Solid waste, air pollution, soil pollution		The Wuhu Ecology Center releases its fourth observation report on the “Information Disclosure and Pollutant Discharge of 359 Domestic Waste Incineration Plants.” According to the report, there are currently 359 waste incinerators in China, distributed across 29 provinces, direct-administered municipalities, and autonomous regions.^[17]
2018	September	Light pollution	Research	Chinese scientists from the Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth conduct nighttime light pollution research using a domestically-produced remote sensing satellite.^[53]
2020		Air pollution	Policy	China plans to reduce coal consumption to below 62% of primary energy by the time.^[10]

Visual data

Google Trends

The comparative chart below shows Google Trends data for pollution in China (Search term), air pollution in China (Search term) and water pollution in China (Search term), from January 2004 to April 2021, when the screenshot was taken. Interest is also ranked by country and displayed on world map.^[54]

Pollution in China, air pollution in China and water pollution in China gt.png

Google Ngram Viewer

The comparative chart below shows Google Ngram Viewer data for pollution in China, pollution in India, pollution in the US and pollution in Europe, from 1900 to 2019.^[55]

Pollution in China, pollution in India, pollution in the US and pollution in Europe ngram.png

Wikipedia Views

The chart below shows pageviews of the English Wikipedia article Pollution in China, on desktop from December 2007, and on mobile-web, desktop-spider, mobile-web-spider and mobile app, from July 2015; to March 2021.^[56]

Meta information on the timeline

How the timeline was built

The initial version of the timeline was written by User:Sebastian.

Funding information for this timeline is available.

Feedback and comments

Feedback for the timeline can be provided at the following places:

FIXME

What the timeline is still missing

[1]

Timeline update strategy

External links

References

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[Business_created_China.27s_pollution_problem-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 "Business created China's pollution problem - now it needs to fix it". fortune.com. Retrieved 13 May 2019.

[China.E2.80.99s_Environmental_Crisis-2] 2.00 ^2.01 ^2.02 ^2.03 ^2.04 ^2.05 ^2.06 ^2.07 ^2.08 ^2.09 ^2.10 ^2.11 ^2.12 ^2.13 ^2.14 ^2.15 ^2.16 ^2.17 ^2.18 ^2.19 "China's Environmental Crisis". cfr.org. Retrieved 13 May 2019.

[Regulating_Land_and_Pollution_in_China:_Lawmaking.2C_Compliance.2C_and_Enforcement_:_Theory_and_Cases-3] 3.00 ^3.01 ^3.02 ^3.03 ^3.04 ^3.05 ^3.06 ^3.07 ^3.08 ^3.09 ^3.10 van Rooij, Benjamin. Regulating Land and Pollution in China: Lawmaking, Compliance, and Enforcement : Theory and Cases.

[How_China_is_cleaning_up_its_air_pollution_faster_than_the_post-Industrial_UK-4] 4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 ^4.3 Stoerk, Thomas. "blogs.edf.org". How China is cleaning up its air pollution faster than the post-Industrial UK. Retrieved 13 May 2019.

[Air_Pollution_Control_Policies_in_China:_A_Retrospective_and_Prospects-5] 5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 ^5.3 ^5.4 ^5.5 ^5.6 Jin, Yana; Andersson, Henrik; Zhang, Shiqiu. "Air Pollution Control Policies in China: A Retrospective and Prospects". PMC 5201360. PMID 27941665. doi:10.3390/ijerph13121219.

[Red_Alert_for_China.27s_pollution_protesters-6] 6.0 ^6.1 Babones, Salvatore. "Red Alert for China's pollution protesters". aljazeera.com. Retrieved 7 June 2019.

[Quest_for_Clean_Water:_China.27s_Newly_Amended_Water_Pollution_Control_Law-7] 7.0 ^7.1 ^7.2 ^7.3 ^7.4 ^7.5 ^7.6 "Quest for Clean Water: China's Newly Amended Water Pollution Control Law". wilsoncenter.org. Retrieved 10 June 2019.

[AFTER_THE_AIRPOCALYPSE_.E2.80.93_5_WAYS_CHINA_IS_BECOMING_A_GLOBAL_CLIMATE_LEADER-8] 8.0 ^8.1 "AFTER THE AIRPOCALYPSE – 5 WAYS CHINA IS BECOMING A GLOBAL CLIMATE LEADER". climaterealityproject.org. Retrieved 10 June 2019.

[China_CO2_emission_accounts_1997.E2.80.932015-9] Shan, Yuli; Guan, Dabo; Zheng, Heran; Ou, Jiamin; Li, Yuan; Meng, Jing; Mi, Zhifu; Liu, Zhu; Zhang, Qiang. "China CO2 emission accounts 1997–2015". doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.c.3936484.v1.

[carbonbrief.org-10] 10.0 ^10.1 YEO, SOPHIE. "Analysis: Decline in China's coal consumption accelerates". carbonbrief.org. Retrieved 10 June 2019.

[China:_China.E2.80.99s_New_Environmental_Protection_Law-11] 11.0 ^11.1 ^11.2 Falk, Robert L.; Wee, Jasmine. "China: China's New Environmental Protection Law". mondaq.com. Retrieved 6 June 2019.

[12] Cohen, Jerome Alan. "China's Changing Constitution".

[Routledge_Handbook_of_Environmental_Policy_in_China-13] 13.00 ^13.01 ^13.02 ^13.03 ^13.04 ^13.05 ^13.06 ^13.07 ^13.08 ^13.09 ^13.10 ^13.11 ^13.12 ^13.13 ^13.14 ^13.15 ^13.16 ^13.17 ^13.18 ^13.19 Sternfeld, Eva. Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China.

[:0-14] 周, 星; 周, 超 (2018). "民俗与法律:烟花爆竹作为一个"中国问题"". 湖北民族学院学报(哲学社会科学版). 36 (4): 48–58. ISSN 1004-941X. doi:10.13501/j.cnki.42-1328/c.2018.04.007.

[15] "Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims". chinadevelopmentbrief.cn. Retrieved 15 June 2019.

[16] Wonacott, Peter. "China Formally Enters The WTO on Tuesday". wsj.com. Retrieved 7 June 2019.

[China_Is_Burning_Away_Its_Ecological_Future-17] 17.0 ^17.1 "China Is Burning Away Its Ecological Future". foreignpolicy.com. Retrieved 8 June 2019.

[One_fifth_of_China.27s_soil_contaminated-18] 18.0 ^18.1 "Report: One fifth of China's soil contaminated". bbc.com. Retrieved 7 June 2019.

[19] "National soil pollution survey, 2014, China" (PDF).

[20] "环保部以国家秘密为由不予公开-法制网". www.legaldaily.com.cn. Retrieved 6 June 2019.

[21] Li, Ji; Dan, Luo. "Climate Change Communication in China". doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190228620.013.467.

[air_pollution_in_china-22] 22.0 ^22.1 ^22.2 ^22.3 "Introduction: Air Pollution in China". cambridge.org. Retrieved 13 May 2019.

[23] "China waste water pipeline scrapped after protest". bbc.com. Retrieved 15 June 2019.

[24] "China morning round-up: Qidong anti-pollution protest". bbc.com. Retrieved 15 June 2019.

[eddw-25] "What Operation Green Fence has Meant for Recycling". waste360.com. Retrieved 1 May 2020.

[26] Kaiman, Jonathan. "Thousands of dead pigs found floating in Chinese river". theguardian.com. Retrieved 6 June 2019.

[27] Davison, Nicola. "Rivers of blood: the dead pigs rotting in China's water supply". theguardian.com. Retrieved 6 June 2019.

[28] Wong, Edward. "Thousands of Dead Pigs Found in River Flowing Into Shanghai". nytimes.com. Retrieved 6 June 2019.

[29] Zuo, Mandy. "More than 7,500 dead pigs found in Shanghai's Huangpu River". scmp.com. Retrieved 6 June 2019.

[30] "Beijing meets national air pollutant standard for first time". scmp.com. Retrieved 13 May 2019.

[China_to_.27declare_war.27_on_pollution.2C_premier_says-31] 31.0 ^31.1 "China to 'declare war' on pollution, premier says". reuters.com. Retrieved 6 June 2019.

[32] Branigan, Tania. "Chinese premier declares war on pollution in economic overhaul". theguardian.com. Retrieved 6 June 2019.

[33] Moore, Malcolm. "China to 'declare war' on pollution". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 6 June 2019.

[34] Chen, Ruishan; de Sherbinin, Alex; Ye, Chao; Shi, Guoqing. "China's Soil Pollution: Farms on the Frontline". doi:10.1126/science.344.6185.691-a.

[35] "UAV". news.sdchina.com. Retrieved 15 June 2019.

[36] "UAV". paper.dzwww.com. Retrieved 15 June 2019.

[Helping_China_Fight_Air_Pollution-37] 37.0 ^37.1 "Helping China Fight Air Pollution". worldbank.org. Retrieved 14 May 2019.

[38] "UAV". 81uav.cn. Retrieved 15 June 2019.

[39] "UAV". 81uav.cn. Retrieved 15 June 2019.

[40] 杨展飞. "授权发布：中华人民共和国大气污染防治法_法治中国_中国网". www.china.com.cn. Retrieved 2017-05-09.

[theguardian.com-41] "In China, the water you drink is as dangerous as the air you breathe". theguardian.com. Retrieved 19 May 2019.

[42] "First Clean Air International Forum showcases Bluetech winners, accelerates clean air technology deployment in China". cleanairchina.org. Retrieved 15 June 2019.

[As_China_Cuts_Air_Pollution.2C_An_Unseen_Killer_Emerges-43] 43.0 ^43.1 "As China Cuts Air Pollution, An Unseen Killer Emerges". sixthtone.com. Retrieved 14 May 2019.

[China.E2.80.99s_Soil_Ten-44] "China's Soil Ten". chinawaterrisk.org. Retrieved 7 June 2019.

[45] "China to Announce Cap-and-Trade Program to Limit Emissions". nytimes.com. Retrieved 13 May 2019.

[46] "Water Pollution Control Law of the People's Republic of China". Retrieved 6 June 2019.

[47] ws. "中国水污染防治法修正案二审违法排污处罚上限或升至百万元-中新网". www.chinanews.com. Retrieved 2018-04-11.

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[Beautiful_China-49] "'Beautiful China': Beijing starts the biggest shutdown of steel factories in history". unearthed.greenpeace.org. Retrieved 14 May 2019.

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[53] "Chinese scientists use domestic satellite to conduct light pollution research". xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 19 May 2019.

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Difference between revisions of "Timeline of pollution in China"

Latest revision as of 22:00, 25 March 2024

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-This is a '''timeline of pollution in China'''.
+This is a '''timeline of pollution in China''', attempting to describe progression in coping with all kinds of pollution in the country. Incumbent environmental policies are included.
 ==Big picture==
 {| class="wikitable"
-! Time period !! Development summary !! More details
+! Time period !! Development summary
+|-
+| 1950s || Communist China. {{w|Mao Zedong}} orders that residents north of the river receive free heating from the coal-powered plants.<ref name="Business created China's pollution problem">{{cite web |title=Business created China's pollution problem - now it needs to fix it |url=http://fortune.com/2014/04/10/business-created-chinas-pollution-problem-now-it-needs-to-fix-it/ |website=fortune.com |accessdate=13 May 2019}}</ref>
+|-
+| 1970s || Economic reforms in the late decade encourage economic development, which increases pollution and turn it into a serious problem.<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/> China begins to use law to combat pollution and protect its natural environment.<ref name="Regulating Land and Pollution in China: Lawmaking, Compliance, and Enforcement : Theory and Cases">{{cite book |last1=van Rooij |first1=Benjamin |title=Regulating Land and Pollution in China: Lawmaking, Compliance, and Enforcement : Theory and Cases |url=https://books.google.com.ar/books?id=D1WACVl2PDYC&pg=PA68&lpg=PA68&dq=%22china%22%22pollution%22+%22in+1980..1988%22&source=bl&ots=f0JO2jXrt6&sig=ACfU3U0S_VQkCIkNXEf-hvAjjMuVGwJx3w&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwim5tuR8ZviAhWUDrkGHcORBNwQ6AEwAXoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22china%22%22pollution%22%20%22in%201980..1988%22&f=false}}</ref>
+|-
+| 1980s || Significant health complications, including respiratory, cardiovascular, and cerebrovascular diseases, are already identified to be the cause of poor air quality in the country.<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/> Levels of air pollution in the main Chinese cities at the beginning of the decade are almost exactly at the level of {{w|London}} at the height of the Industrial Revolution in 1890.<ref name="How China is cleaning up its air pollution faster than the post-Industrial UK"/>
+|-
+| 1990s || High values of PM2.5 and O3 in the country result in an alarming figure of premature deaths.<ref name="Air Pollution Control Policies in China: A Retrospective and Prospects"/> Beijing is already one of the world's most polluted cities.<ref name="Red Alert for China's pollution protesters">{{cite web |last1=Babones |first1=Salvatore |title=Red Alert for China's pollution protesters |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2017/02/red-alert-china-pollution-protesters-170217111717375.html |website=aljazeera.com |accessdate=7 June 2019}}</ref> The environmental regulatory framework in the country starts expanding rapidly.<ref name="Quest for Clean Water: China's Newly Amended Water Pollution Control Law"/>
+|-
+| 2000s || China becomes the world’s biggest {{w|CO2}} emitter. By 2008, 16 of the 20 most polluted cities in the world are in China.<ref name="AFTER THE AIRPOCALYPSE – 5 WAYS CHINA IS BECOMING A GLOBAL CLIMATE LEADER"/>
+|-
+| 2010s || In 2013 China introduces a national action plan to curb air pollution.<ref name="AFTER THE AIRPOCALYPSE – 5 WAYS CHINA IS BECOMING A GLOBAL CLIMATE LEADER">{{cite web |title=AFTER THE AIRPOCALYPSE – 5 WAYS CHINA IS BECOMING A GLOBAL CLIMATE LEADER |url=https://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/after-airpocalypse-5-ways-china-becoming-global-climate-leader |website=climaterealityproject.org |accessdate=10 June 2019}}</ref> As of 2016, the human-induced {{w|carbon dioxide}} emissions in the country account for approximately 30% of global emissions.<ref name="China CO2 emission accounts 1997–2015">{{cite journal |last1=Shan |first1=Yuli |last2=Guan |first2=Dabo |last3=Zheng |first3=Heran |last4=Ou |first4=Jiamin |last5=Li |first5=Yuan |last6=Meng |first6=Jing |last7=Mi |first7=Zhifu |last8=Liu |first8=Zhu |last9=Zhang |first9=Qiang |title=China CO2 emission accounts 1997–2015 |doi=10.6084/m9.figshare.c.3936484.v1 |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/sdata2017201}}</ref> However, introduced policies start showing promising results. China’s coal use declines, and the declining trend accelerates along the decade.<ref name="carbonbrief.org">{{cite web |last1=YEO |first1=SOPHIE |title=Analysis: Decline in China’s coal consumption accelerates |url=https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-decline-in-chinas-coal-consumption-accelerates |website=carbonbrief.org |accessdate=10 June 2019}}</ref>
 |-
 |}
@@ Line 11: / Line 23: @@
 {| class="sortable wikitable"
-! Year !! Month and date !! Event type !! Details
+! Year !! Month and date !! Category !! Event type !! Details
+|-
+| 1972 || || General || Policy || After the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, the [[w:Government of China|Chinese Government]] begins to develop environmental institutions.<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis">{{cite web |title=China’s Environmental Crisis |url=https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/chinas-environmental-crisis |website=cfr.org |accessdate=13 May 2019}}</ref>
+|-
+| 1978 || || Background || Policy || The [[w:Government of China|Chinese Government]] adopts its open door policy, and starts an era of flourishment of the Chinese economy. This rapid economic development would also lead to serious pollution problems.<ref name="China: China’s New Environmental Protection Law"/>
+|-
+| 1978 || March || General || Policy || The Third Chinese Constitution is issued with inclusion of an environmental commission.<ref name="Air Pollution Control Policies in China: A Retrospective and Prospects"/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cohen |first1=Jerome Alan |title=China's Changing Constitution |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/652647?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents}}</ref>
+|-
+| 1979 || || General || Policy || The [[w:Government of China|Chinese Government]] issues an Environmental Protection Law on a trial basis.<ref name="Air Pollution Control Policies in China: A Retrospective and Prospects"/><ref name="Quest for Clean Water: China's Newly Amended Water Pollution Control Law"/>
+|-
+| 1981 - 2000 || || {{w|Air pollution}} || Research || Research shows that air pollution was 55% higher in the northern region of China during the period.<ref name="Business created China's pollution problem"/>
+|-
+| 1982 || || {{w|Water pollution}} || Policy || The Chinese legislature enacts the Marine Environmental Protection Law.<ref name="Regulating Land and Pollution in China: Lawmaking, Compliance, and Enforcement : Theory and Cases"/>
+|-
+| 1984 || || {{w|Water pollution}} || Policy || The Chinese legislature enacts the Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law.<ref name="Regulating Land and Pollution in China: Lawmaking, Compliance, and Enforcement : Theory and Cases"/>
+|-
+| 1984 || || || Policy || The Chinese legislature establishes the Forest Law as measure of nature conservation.<ref name="Regulating Land and Pollution in China: Lawmaking, Compliance, and Enforcement : Theory and Cases"/>
+|-
+| 1985 || || || Policy || The Chinese legislature establishes the Grasslands Law as measure of nature conservation.<ref name="Regulating Land and Pollution in China: Lawmaking, Compliance, and Enforcement : Theory and Cases"/>
+|-
+| 1986 || || {{w|Water pollution}} || Policy || The Fisheries Law is enacted.<ref name="Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China"/>
+|-
+| 1987 || || {{w|Air pollution}} || Policy || The Chinese legislature enacts the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law.<ref name="Regulating Land and Pollution in China: Lawmaking, Compliance, and Enforcement : Theory and Cases"/>
+|-
+| 1989 || || General || Policy || The [[w:Government of China|Chinese Government]] formally issues an Environmental Protection Law.<ref name="Air Pollution Control Policies in China: A Retrospective and Prospects"/><ref name="China: China’s New Environmental Protection Law"/>
+|-
+| 1990 - 2015 || || {{w|Air pollution}} || Statistics || According to {{w|Global Burden of Disease Study}}, estimated China’s annual premature deaths attributable to PM2.5 and O3 average values at around 1 to 1.2 million deaths in the period.<ref name="Air Pollution Control Policies in China: A Retrospective and Prospects"/>
+|-
+| 1992 || || General || Policy || The environmental regulatory framework in the country starts expanding rapidly.<ref name="Quest for Clean Water: China's Newly Amended Water Pollution Control Law"/>
+|-
+| 1993 || || {{w|Water pollution}} || Policy || The 1984 Water Pollution and Prevention Law is deemed unsatisfactory. Rapid economic growth and resulting pollution makes the law an outdated policy.<ref name="Regulating Land and Pollution in China: Lawmaking, Compliance, and Enforcement : Theory and Cases"/>
+|-
+| 1993 || || General || Policy || After the [[w:Chinese New Year|Spring Festival]], a total number of 308 deputies from National People's Congress (NPC) and the {{w|Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference}} (CPPCC) propose legislation to [[w:Fireworks bans in China|ban fireworks]] and firecrackers strictly.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=周|first=星|last2=周|first2=超|date=2018|title=民俗与法律:烟花爆竹作为一个"中国问题"|journal=湖北民族学院学报(哲学社会科学版)|volume=36|issue=4|pages=48–58|doi=10.13501/j.cnki.42-1328/c.2018.04.007|issn=1004-941X}}</ref>
+|-
+| 1994 || || General || Policy || The Regulation on Nature Reserves is introduced.<ref name="Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China"/>
+|-
+| 1995 || || {{w|Solid waste}} || Policy || The Solid Waste Pollution Prevention and Control Law is enacted.<ref name="Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China"/>
+|-
+| 1996 || || {{w|Water pollution}} || Policy || The Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law is amended. 23 articles are adjusted or added, producing a law with 7 chapters and 62 articles. The amendment is part of a stricter and clearer legislation by lawmakers.<ref name="Regulating Land and Pollution in China: Lawmaking, Compliance, and Enforcement : Theory and Cases"/>
+|-
+| 1996 || || {{w|Noise pollution}} || Policy || The Environmental Noise Pollution Prevention and Control Law is enacted.<ref name="Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China"/>
+|-
+| 1996 || || General || Policy || The Regulation on Wild Plant Conservation is introduced.<ref name="Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China"/>
+|-
+| 1997 || || General || Policy || The Regulation on Protection of New Plant Varieties is introduced.<ref name="Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China"/>
+|-
+| 1998 || || General || Policy || The Wild Fauna Protection Law is enacted.<ref name="Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China"/>
+|-
+| 1998 || || General || Policy || The Forest Law is amended.<ref name="Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China"/>
+|-
+| 1998 || October || General || Organization || The {{w|Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims}} is founded by Professor {{w|Wang Canfa}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims |url=http://www.chinadevelopmentbrief.cn/directory/center-for-legal-assistance-to-pollution-victims%E6%B1%A1%E6%9F%93%E5%8F%97%E5%AE%B3%E8%80%85%E6%B3%95%E5%BE%8B%E5%B8%AE%E5%8A%A9%E4%B8%AD%E5%BF%83/ |website=chinadevelopmentbrief.cn |accessdate=15 June 2019}}</ref>
+|-
+| 1999 || || {{w|Water pollution}} || Policy || The Marine Environment Protection Law is enacted.<ref name="Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China"/>
+|-
+| 2000 || || {{w|Air pollution}} || Policy || The Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law is enacted.<ref name="Regulating Land and Pollution in China: Lawmaking, Compliance, and Enforcement : Theory and Cases"/><ref name="Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China"/>
+|-
+| 2000 || || General || Policy || The Seed Law is enacted.<ref name="Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China"/>
+|-
+| 2001 || December 11 || Background || Policy || China joins the {{w|World Trade Organization}}. Since then, manufacturing quickly starts to expand. As a consequence, emissions in the country spike.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wonacott |first1=Peter |title=China Formally Enters The WTO on Tuesday |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1008010719257340800 |website=wsj.com |accessdate=7 June 2019}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2002 || || General || Policy || A new Environmental Impact Assessment Law is amended.<ref name="Regulating Land and Pollution in China: Lawmaking, Compliance, and Enforcement : Theory and Cases"/><ref name="Regulating Land and Pollution in China: Lawmaking, Compliance, and Enforcement : Theory and Cases"/>
 |-
-| 2007 || || || The year is known as China’s “first year of climate change communication research.”<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Li |first1=Ji |last2=Dan |first2=Luo |title=Climate Change Communication in China |doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780190228620.013.467 |url=https://oxfordre.com/climatescience/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228620.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228620-e-467}}</ref>
+| 2003 || || {{w|Air pollution}} || Statistics || The Chinese Academy for Environmental Planning determines that air pollution is responsible for 411,000 premature deaths across China.<ref name="Business created China's pollution problem"/>
+|-
+| 2003 || || {{w|Radioactive contamination}} || Policy || The Radioactive Pollution Prevention and Control Law is enacted.<ref name="Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China"/>
+|-
+| 2003 || || General || Policy || The Environmental Impact Assessment Law is enacted.<ref name="Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China"/>
+|-
+| 2004 || || General || Policy || The Seed Law is amended.<ref name="Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China"/>
+|-
+| 2004 || || {{w|Solid waste}} || Statistics || According to the {{w|World Bank}}, China is already the world’s largest municipal solid waste generator.<ref name="China Is Burning Away Its Ecological Future">{{cite web |title=China Is Burning Away Its Ecological Future |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/03/26/china-is-burning-away-its-ecological-future/ |website=foreignpolicy.com |accessdate=8 June 2019}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2004 || || General, {{w|water pollution}} || Statistics || The [[w:Ministry of Ecology and Environment|Ministry of Environmental Protection]] reports 1,221 environmental accidents in the year, most of which are related to water. However, experts believe the figure is vastly underestimated.<ref name="Quest for Clean Water: China's Newly Amended Water Pollution Control Law"/>
+|-
+| 2004 || || General || Policy || The Wild Fauna Protection Law is amended.<ref name="Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China"/>
+|-
+| 2005 – 2013 || || {{w|Soil pollution}} || Research || China conducts a large-scale [[w:Environmental monitoring#Soil monitoring|soil quality sampling analysis]] nationwide during the period, taking samples across an area of 6.3 million square kilometers, two-thirds of China's land area.<ref name="One fifth of China's soil contaminated">{{cite web |title=Report: One fifth of China's soil contaminated |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-27076645 |website=bbc.com |accessdate=7 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gov.cn/foot/site1/20140417/782bcb88840814ba158d01.pdf|title=National soil pollution survey, 2014, China|last=|first=|date=|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.legaldaily.com.cn/index_article/content/2013-02/25/content_4221243.htm?node=5955|title=环保部以国家秘密为由不予公开-法制网|website=www.legaldaily.com.cn|access-date=6 June 2019}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2006 - 2010 || || {{w|Air pollution}} || Policy  || China starts to seriously control air pollution by limiting emissions for each province.<ref name="How China is cleaning up its air pollution faster than the post-Industrial UK"/>
+|-
+| 2006 || || {{w|Water pollution}} || Statistics || According to environmental authorities, one water pollution accident takes place every two to three days, on average, in the country.<ref name="Quest for Clean Water: China's Newly Amended Water Pollution Control Law"/>
+|-
+| 2006 || || General || Policy || The Regulation on Scenic Spots and Historical Sites is introduced.<ref name="Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China"/>
+|-
+| 2007 || || {{w|Air pollution}} || Statistics || China ranks the world’s largest emitter of {{w|greenhouse gas}}es, overtaking the United States for the first time and being responsible for 27 percent of global emissions in the year.<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/>
+|-
+| 2007 || || {{w|Climate change}} || || The year is known as China’s “first year of climate change communication research.”<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Li |first1=Ji |last2=Dan |first2=Luo |title=Climate Change Communication in China |doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780190228620.013.467 |url=https://oxfordre.com/climatescience/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228620.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228620-e-467}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2007 || || {{w|Water pollution}} || Research || The Ministry of Environment's 2007 Official Report on China's Environment declares that all seven major rivers in China in general suffer from moderate pollution, and 11 out of the 28 major lakes have a water quality grade rated at the lowest national standard for water quality, which means the water is essentially unusable for any purpose.<ref name="Quest for Clean Water: China's Newly Amended Water Pollution Control Law">{{cite web |title=Quest for Clean Water: China's Newly Amended Water Pollution Control Law |url=https://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/quest-for-clean-water-chinas-newly-amended-water-pollution-control-law |website=wilsoncenter.org |accessdate=10 June 2019}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2008 || February || {{w|Water pollution}} || Policy || The Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law (WPPCL) is amended to reinforce control.<ref name="Quest for Clean Water: China's Newly Amended Water Pollution Control Law"/>
+|-
+| 2008 || || {{w|Air pollution}} || Research || Study suggests that reductions in air pollution only happens after the Chinese government creates the [[w:Ministry of Ecology and Environment|Ministry of Environmental Protection]]. After its creation, among the many changes in environmental policy, the MEP starts to gather reliable SO2 emissions data from continuous emissions monitoring systems (CEMS) at the prefecture level and increases the number of enforcement officials by 17 percent. Further study suggests that reductions in air pollution in China only happens after the creation of the MEP.<ref name="How China is cleaning up its air pollution faster than the post-Industrial UK"/>
+|-
+| 2010 || || {{w|Air pollution}}  || Policy || The Administration Regulations of Ozone Depleting Substances legislation is enacted.<ref name="Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China">{{cite book |last1=Sternfeld |first1=Eva |title=Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China |url=https://books.google.com.ar/books?id=85cnDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA25&lpg=PA25&dq=1996+china+Water+pollution+Policy+The+Water+Pollution+Prevention+and+Control+Law+is+amended&source=bl&ots=O2f9IU3VZX&sig=ACfU3U23X_HgFyl1qFd4LRDD1me63DHBzw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi2t-DljN_iAhUbF7kGHbyQBM44FBDoATADegQIBxAB#v=onepage&q=1996%20china%20Water%20pollution%20Policy%20The%20Water%20Pollution%20Prevention%20and%20Control%20Law%20is%20amended&f=false}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2010 || || General || Statistics || The Chinese [[w:Ministry of Ecology and Environment|Ministry of Environmental Protection]] estimates the cost of pollution at around 1.5 trillion [[w:Renminbi|RMB]] (US$227 billion), or roughly 3.5 percent of the {{w|GDP}}.<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/>
+|-
+| 2010 || || {{w|Air pollution}} || Statistics || Chinese census data calculates that nearly half of households primarily use solid fuels for cooking, and four out of five of these households are in rural areas.<ref name="air pollution in china"/>
+|-
+| 2010 || || {{w|Air pollution}} || Statistics || The ambient air pollution in China is estimated by the {{w|Global Burden of Disease Study}} (GBD) to lead to 1.2 million premature deaths from one year’s (2010) exposure in the country.<ref name="Air Pollution Control Policies in China: A Retrospective and Prospects">{{cite journal |last1=Jin |first1=Yana |last2=Andersson |first2=Henrik |last3=Zhang |first3=Shiqiu |title=Air Pollution Control Policies in China: A Retrospective and Prospects |doi=10.3390/ijerph13121219 |pmid=27941665 |url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5201360/ |pmc=5201360}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2010 || || General || Policy || The Island Conservation Law is enacted.<ref name="Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China"/>
+|-
+| 2012 || July 28 || || || {{w|Qidong protest}} takes place as an environmental protest against a proposed waste water pipeline in the Chinese city of [[w:Qidong City|Qidong]].<ref>{{cite web |title=China waste water pipeline scrapped after protest |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-19026464 |website=bbc.com |accessdate=15 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=China morning round-up: Qidong anti-pollution protest |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-19043937 |website=bbc.com |accessdate=15 June 2019}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2012 - 2014 || || {{w|Air pollution}} || {{w|Statistics}} || The [[w:National Energy Commission|National Energy Agency]] claims that {{w|coal}} use dropped to 64.2 percent of the mix in 2014, down almost two percent from 2012.<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/>
+|-
+| 2013 || January - February || {{w|Air pollution}} || Crisis || Severe haze covers many provinces and cities in China. The haze with its unprecedentedly high index of PM2.5 concentration and extremely low visibility provoques worldwide concern and eventually becomes known as the “PM2.5 crisis”.<ref name="Air Pollution Control Policies in China: A Retrospective and Prospects"/>
+|-
+| 2013 || February || General || Policy || The {{w|Operation Green Fence}} is implemented by the {{w|Government of China}} as an initiative with the purpose to limit the amount of contaminated recyclables and waste that was being imported to the country.<ref name="eddw">{{cite web |title=What Operation Green Fence has Meant for Recycling |url=https://www.waste360.com/business/what-operation-green-fence-has-meant-recycling |website=waste360.com |accessdate=1 May 2020}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2013 || March || {{w|Water pollution}} || Crisis || More than 7,500 dead pigs are found in the {{w|Huangpu river}}. The news is spread rapidly online. An estimated 16,000 diseased pig carcasses are found in tributaries of the river.<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Kaiman |first1=Jonathan |title=Thousands of dead pigs found floating in Chinese river |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/mar/11/dead-pigs-chinese-river |website=theguardian.com |accessdate=6 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Davison |first1=Nicola |title=Rivers of blood: the dead pigs rotting in China's water supply |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/mar/29/dead-pigs-china-water-supply |website=theguardian.com |accessdate=6 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Wong |first1=Edward |title=Thousands of Dead Pigs Found in River Flowing Into Shanghai |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/12/world/asia/thousands-of-dead-pigs-found-in-chinese-river.html |website=nytimes.com |accessdate=6 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Zuo |first1=Mandy |title=More than 7,500 dead pigs found in Shanghai's Huangpu River |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1190886/more-7500-dead-pigs-found-shanghais-huangpu-river |website=scmp.com |accessdate=6 June 2019}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2013 || || {{w|Water pollution}} || Policy || The Fisheries Law is amended.<ref name="Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China"/>
+|-
+| 2013 || || General || Policy || The [[w:Government of China|Chinese Government]] claims declaring war on pollution. Among the efforts to curb {{w|smog}}, these include closing down or moving heavily polluting factories and restrictions on the use of cars.<ref>{{cite web |title=Beijing meets national air pollutant standard for first time |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2132406/beijing-meets-national-air-pollutant-standard-first-time |website=scmp.com |accessdate=13 May 2019}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2013 || || {{w|Solid waste}} || Policy || The Solid Waste Pollution Prevention and Control Law is amended.<ref name="Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China"/>
+|-
+| 2013 || || General || Crisis || Chinese politician {{w|Chen Jiping}}, the former leading member of the party’s Committee of Political and Legislative Affairs, states that environmental issues are a major reason for “mass incidents” in the country, estimating unofficial gatherings of one hundred or more that range from peaceful protest to rioting.<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/>
+|-
+| 2013 onward || || {{w|Air pollution}} || Statistics || A spectacular increase of the market for devices that help keep indoor air clean by filtrating outdoor air before it enters the dwelling is experienced, along with increasing use of {{w|facial mask}}s, which soon become even available in fashionable patterns, all meant to protect people from breathing polluted air.<ref name="air pollution in china">{{cite web |title=Introduction: Air Pollution in China |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/china-quarterly/article/introduction-air-pollution-in-china/8D36F205FEC68513BC45E2DEC0F2AC26/core-reader |website=cambridge.org |accessdate=13 May 2019}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2013 || December || {{w|Climate change}} || Policy || The China’s {{w|National Development and Reform Commission}} issues its first nationwide blueprint for {{w|climate change}}, outlining an extensive list of objectives for 2020.<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/>
+|-
+| 2014 || January || {{w|Air pollution}}, {{w|water pollution}} || Policy || The central government requires fifteen thousand factories, including large state-owned enterprises, to publicly report real-time figures on air emissions and water discharges.<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/>
+|-
+| 2014 || || {{w|Air pollution}} || Statistics || China stands as the world’s largest emitter of {{w|greenhouse gas}}es, and is responsible for 27 percent of global emissions in the year.<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/>
+|-
+| 2014 || March || General || Policy || The Ministry of Finance reports that China would spend 21.1 billion yuan on energy conservation and environmental protection in the year, up 7.1 percent from 2013. An amount of 64.9 billion yuan would be allocated to agriculture, forestry and water conservation, up 8.6 percent.<ref name="China to 'declare war' on pollution, premier says">{{cite web |title=China to 'declare war' on pollution, premier says |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-parliament-pollution/china-to-declare-war-on-pollution-premier-says-idUSBREA2405W20140305 |website=reuters.com |accessdate=6 June 2019}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2014 || March || General || Policy || Chinese Premier {{w|Li Keqiang}} opens the annual meeting of parliament and announces pollution being one of his nine "major tasks" for 2014.<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/><ref name="China to 'declare war' on pollution, premier says"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Branigan |first1=Tania |title=Chinese premier declares war on pollution in economic overhaul |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/05/china-pollution-economic-reform-growth-target |website=theguardian.com |accessdate=6 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Moore |first1=Malcolm |title=China to 'declare war' on pollution |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/10677947/China-to-declare-war-on-pollution.html |website=telegraph.co.uk |accessdate=6 June 2019}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2014 || April || {{w|Soil pollution}} || Statistics || Survey between 2005 to 2013 releases report admitting that in total 16.1% of China's soil is polluted, including 19.4% of the arable land. About 82.8% of the polluted land shows contamination by inorganic materials, with levels noticeably higher than the previous survey between 1986 and 1990.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chen |first1=Ruishan |last2=de Sherbinin |first2=Alex |last3=Ye |first3=Chao |last4=Shi |first4=Guoqing |title=China's Soil Pollution: Farms on the Frontline |doi=10.1126/science.344.6185.691-a |url=https://science.sciencemag.org/content/344/6185/691.1}}</ref><ref name="One fifth of China's soil contaminated"/>
+|-
+| 2014 || May || General || Policy || The [[w:Government of China|Chinese Government]] strengthens the country’s Environmental Protection Law for the first time in twenty-five years.<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/>
+|-
+| 2014 || June || General || Infrastructure || {{w|SDAS UAV}} is introduced as an {{w|unmanned aerial vehicle}} specifically for pollution surveillance missions.<ref>{{cite web |title=UAV |url=http://news.sdchina.com/show/2987992.html |website=news.sdchina.com |accessdate=15 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=UAV |url=http://paper.dzwww.com/jjdb/data/20140409/html/11/content_7.html |website=paper.dzwww.com |accessdate=15 June 2019}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2014 || || {{w|Air pollution}} || {{w|Statistics}} || A record 17 million new cars on the road are calculated in the year, further contributing to China’s high emissions.<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/>
+|-
+| 2014 || November || {{w|Climate change}} || Policy || In a joint statement on {{w|climate change}} with the {{w|United States}}, China commits to hit its peak carbon emissions by 2030 and to have renewables account for 20 percent of its energy mix by 2030.<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/>
+|-
+| 2014 || || {{w|Water pollution}} || Research || Groundwater supplies in more than 60 percent of major cities are categorized as “bad to very bad,” and more than a quarter of China’s key rivers are considered “unfit for human contact.”<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/>
+|-
+| 2014 || || {{w|Air pollution}} || Policy || China stands as one of the biggest investors in renewables, investing nearly US$90 billion in the year as part of its pledge to cut its carbon intensity, an amount far outspending the United States’ US$51.8 billion.<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/>
+|-
+| 2014 || || {{w|Air pollution}} || Reserch || Approximately 4 billion tons of coal are consumed in the country in the year, more than the rest of the world combined.<ref name="Helping China Fight Air Pollution">{{cite web |title=Helping China Fight Air Pollution |url=https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2018/06/11/helping-china-fight-air-pollution |website=worldbank.org |accessdate=14 May 2019}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2014 || || General || Infrastructure || {{w|JSYU UAV}}, a Chinese {{w|Unmanned aerial vehicle}}, is introduced. The device is developed for pollution surveillance and agricultural missions.<ref>{{cite web |title=UAV |url=https://www.81uav.cn/ |website=81uav.cn |accessdate=15 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=UAV |url=https://www.81uav.cn/ |website=81uav.cn |accessdate=15 June 2019}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2015 || January 1 || General || Policy || China formally begins implementing an updated Environmental Protection Law. This is the first time China's fundamental environmental protection statute is revised since its promulgation in 1989.<ref name="China: China’s New Environmental Protection Law">{{cite web |last1=Falk |first1=Robert L. |last2=Wee |first2=Jasmine |title=China: China’s New Environmental Protection Law |url=http://www.mondaq.com/china/x/345932/Environmental+Law/Chinas+New+Environmental+Protection+Law |website=mondaq.com |accessdate=6 June 2019}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2015 || || {{w|Air pollution}} || Statistics || The national coal power plant capacity increases by 55 percent in the first six months, 155 new coal-fired plants are approved, and the [[w:Government of China|Chinese Government]] admits that it has underreported its annual coal consumption since 2000.<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/>
+|-
+| 2015 || March || {{w|Air pollution}} || || The [[w:Government of China|Chinese Government]] allows its people to watch for one week an environmental documentary exposing {{w|Beijing}}'s true pollution levels and the government corruption behind them. The film, titled {{w|Under the Dome}}, is watched by millions of people and goes viral, before being abruptly removed from the Chinese internet.<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/><ref name="Red Alert for China's pollution protesters"/>
+|-
+| 2015 || August || {{w|Air pollution}} || Policy || The national government issues the Air Pollution Control Law, which would be implemented starting 2016. Experts believe that although the law is inevitably flawed in some aspects, if  80% of the law can be implemented, it would significantly improve the air quality.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.china.com.cn/legal/2015-09/01/content_36470064.htm|title=授权发布：中华人民共和国大气污染防治法_法治中国_中国网|last=杨展飞|website=www.china.com.cn|access-date=2017-05-09}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2015 || || {{w|Air pollution}} || Statistics || Study estimates about 1.5 million premature deaths in {{w|China}} attributable to PM2.5 exposure in the year, of which about 60 per cent were due to ambient PM2.5 pollution and about 40 per cent to household air pollution.<ref name="air pollution in china"/>
+|-
+| 2015 || || {{w|Air pollution}} || Statistics || The rate of deaths attributable to air pollution in the country in the year is estimated at about 115 deaths per 100,000 people. For comparison, the estimated figure for {{w|India}} is 138 deaths per 100,000 people, 49 in {{w|Japan}}, 43 in {{w|Western Europe}} and 31 in the {{w|United States}}.<ref name="air pollution in china"/>
+|-
+| 2015 || || {{w|Water pollution}} || Research || A reported 3.78 billion cubic meters of untreated wastewater was discharged across China in the year. This is water that has been ruled unusable for agricultural, industrial and even decorative purposes dumped into rivers and lakes.<ref name="theguardian.com">{{cite web |title=In China, the water you drink is as dangerous as the air you breathe |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2017/jun/02/china-water-dangerous-pollution-greenpeace |website=theguardian.com |accessdate=19 May 2019}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2015 || December 12 || {{w|Air pollution}} || || The first {{w|Bluetech Award}} Ceremony is held in Beijing. It is an annual award presented by the {{w|Clean Air Alliance of China}} (CAAC) to recognize outstanding technologies that prevent and control different forms and sources of air pollution.<ref>{{cite web |title=First Clean Air International Forum showcases Bluetech winners, accelerates clean air technology deployment in China |url=http://en.cleanairchina.org/product/7502.html |website=cleanairchina.org |accessdate=15 June 2019}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2016 || || {{w|Air pollution}} || Organization || The Regional Ozone Sino-US Collaborative Research Center is established at Duke Kunshan University. It is the first research institute for ozone pollution control in the country.<ref name="As China Cuts Air Pollution, An Unseen Killer Emerges">{{cite web |title=As China Cuts Air Pollution, An Unseen Killer Emerges |url=https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1003590/as-china-cuts-air-pollution%2C-an-unseen-killer-emerges |website=sixthtone.com |accessdate=14 May 2019}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2016 || May 31 || {{w|Soil pollution}} || Policy || The State Council releases the ‘Soil Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan’ or “Soil Ten Plan”. It aims to "improve soil quality and ensure safe agricultural products resulting in a healthy living environment for China’s population". The plan consists of 231 specific actions, and deadlines are given.<ref name="China’s Soil Ten">{{cite web |title=China’s Soil Ten |url=http://www.chinawaterrisk.org/resources/analysis-reviews/chinas-soil-ten/ |website=chinawaterrisk.org |accessdate=7 June 2019}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2016 || September || {{w|Air pollution}} || Policy || The Innovative Financing for Air Pollution Control in Jing-Jin-Ji Region Program is launched, with the goal to finance projects helping to reduce coal consumption.<ref name="Helping China Fight Air Pollution"/>
+|-
+| 2017 || || {{w|Air pollution}} || Policy || President {{w|Xi Jinping}}, on a state visit to Washington, announces that China would initiate a national cap-and-trade emissions program.<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/><ref>{{cite web |title=China to Announce Cap-and-Trade Program to Limit Emissions |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/25/world/asia/xi-jinping-china-president-obama-summit.html?_r=0 |website=nytimes.com |accessdate=13 May 2019}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2017 || || {{w|Air pollution}} || Research || The [[w:Ministry of Ecology and Environment|Ministry of Environmental Protection]] calculates an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 43 µg/m3 for China’s cities in 2017, more than 4 times the level of 10 µg/m3 recommended by the {{w|World Health Organization}}.<ref name="How China is cleaning up its air pollution faster than the post-Industrial UK">{{cite web |last1=Stoerk |first1=Thomas |title=blogs.edf.org |url=http://blogs.edf.org/markets/2018/05/17/how-china-is-cleaning-up-its-air-pollution-faster-than-the-post-industrial-uk/ |website=How China is cleaning up its air pollution faster than the post-Industrial UK |accessdate=13 May 2019}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2017 || June || {{w|Water pollution}} || Policy || The national government makes a second amendment to the Water Pollution Prevention Act.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://zfs.mep.gov.cn/fl/200802/t20080229_118802.shtml|title=Water Pollution Control Law of the People's Republic of China|last=|first=|date=|website=|archive-url=|archive-date=|dead-url=|access-date=6 June 2019}}</ref> Based on the first regulation of Water Pollution Prevention Act in 1996, the amendment would increase the punishment for water pollution and the penalty ceiling may be raised to 1 million yuan.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2017/06-22/8258032.shtml|title=中国水污染防治法修正案二审 违法排污处罚上限或升至百万元-中新网|last=chinanews|website=www.chinanews.com|access-date=2018-04-11}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2017 || July || General || Policy || The {{w|Operation National Sword}} is announced by the {{w|Government of China}} as an initiative with the purpose to monitor and more stringently review recyclable waste imports.<ref name="complydirect.com">{{cite web |title=Global markets and material price updates |url=https://www.complydirect.com/news/global-markets-and-material-price-updates/ |website=complydirect.com |accessdate=1 May 2020}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2017 || October || Policy || Policy || China halts more than 150 coal-fired power plants after launching first regional Environmental Protection Bureau to consolidate cuts in air pollution following party conference. The measures are a part of an aggressive action plan that aims to cut wintertime particulate pollution by 15% year-on-year over the next five months.<ref name="Beautiful China">{{cite web |title=‘Beautiful China’: Beijing starts the biggest shutdown of steel factories in history |url=https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2017/10/30/china-starts-the-biggest-shutdown-of-steel-factories-in-history/ |website=unearthed.greenpeace.org |accessdate=14 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=China halts more than 150 coal-fired power plants |url=https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2017/10/11/china-halts-150-coal-fired-power-plants/ |website=unearthed.greenpeace.org |accessdate=14 May 2019}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2018 || January 1 || {{w|Water pollution}} || Policy || A revision of the Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law is approved by the National People’s Congress and goes into effect.<ref>{{cite web |title=Revised ‘Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law’ Approved |url=http://www.chinawaterrisk.org/notices/revised-water-pollution-prevention-and-control-law-approved/ |website=chinawaterrisk.org |accessdate=10 June 2019}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2018 || March || General || Research || Four years after declaring war on pollution, research gives promising results, and estimates on longer life expectancy that is possible in the country. In particular, cities have cut concentrations of fine particulates in the air by 32 percent on average, in only four years.<ref>{{cite web |title=Four Years After Declaring War on Pollution, China Is Winning |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/12/upshot/china-pollution-environment-longer-lives.html |website=nytimes.com |accessdate=6 June 2019}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2018 || July || {{w|Air pollution}} || Policy || Government initiates three-year plan to curb air pollution, released, making certain provisions for ozone control, such as compelling manufacturers to repair and replace VOC-emitting installations and applying legal upper limits on VOC concentration in paints, inks, and adhesives.<ref name="As China Cuts Air Pollution, An Unseen Killer Emerges"/>
+|-
+| 2018 || July || {{w|Solid waste}}, {{w|air pollution}}, {{w|soil pollution}} || || The Wuhu Ecology Center releases its fourth observation report on the “Information Disclosure and Pollutant Discharge of 359 Domestic Waste Incineration Plants.” According to the report, there are currently  359 waste incinerators in China, distributed across 29 provinces, direct-administered municipalities, and autonomous regions.<ref name="China Is Burning Away Its Ecological Future"/>
+|-
+| 2018 || September || {{w|Light pollution}} || Research || Chinese scientists from the {{w|Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth}} conduct nighttime light pollution research using a domestically-produced remote sensing satellite.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chinese scientists use domestic satellite to conduct light pollution research |url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-09/09/c_137456440.htm |website=xinhuanet.com |accessdate=19 May 2019}}</ref>
+|-
+| 2020 || || {{w|Air pollution}} || Policy || China plans to reduce coal consumption to below 62% of primary energy by the time.<ref name="carbonbrief.org"/>
 |-
 |}
+== Visual data ==
+=== Google Trends ===
+The comparative chart below shows {{w|Google Trends}} data for pollution in China (Search term), air pollution in China (Search term) and water pollution in China (Search term), from January 2004 to April 2021, when the screenshot was taken. Interest is also ranked by country and displayed on world map.<ref>{{cite web |title=pollution in China, air pollution in China and water pollution in China |url=https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=pollution%20in%20China,air%20pollution%20in%20China,water%20pollution%20in%20China |website=Google Trends |access-date=12 April 2021}}</ref>
+[[File:Pollution in China, air pollution in China and water pollution in China gt.png|thumb|center|600px]]
+=== Google Ngram Viewer ===
+The comparative chart below shows {{w|Google Ngram Viewer}} data for pollution in China, pollution in India, pollution in the US and pollution in Europe, from 1900 to 2019.<ref>{{cite web |title=pollution in China, pollution in India, pollution in the US and pollution in Europe |url=https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=pollution+in+China%2Cpollution+in+India%2Cpollution+in+the+US%2Cpollution+in+Europe&year_start=1900&year_end=2019&corpus=26&smoothing=3&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cpollution%20in%20China%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cpollution%20in%20India%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cpollution%20in%20the%20U.S.%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cpollution%20in%20Europe%3B%2Cc0#t1%3B%2Cpollution%20in%20China%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cpollution%20in%20India%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cpollution%20in%20the%20U.S.%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cpollution%20in%20Europe%3B%2Cc0 |website=books.google.com |access-date=20 April 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
+[[File:Pollution in China, pollution in India, pollution in the US and pollution in Europe ngram.png|thumb|center|700px]]
+=== Wikipedia Views ===
+The chart below shows pageviews of the English Wikipedia article {{w|Pollution in China}}, on desktop from December 2007, and on mobile-web, desktop-spider, mobile-web-spider and mobile app, from July 2015; to March 2021.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pollution in China |url=https://wikipediaviews.org/displayviewsformultiplemonths.php?page=Pollution+in+China&allmonths=allmonths-api&language=en&drilldown=all |website=wikipediaviews.org |access-date=12 April 2021}}</ref>
+[[File:Pollution in China wv.png|thumb|center|450px]]
 ==Meta information on the timeline==
@@ Line 21: / Line 246: @@
 ===How the timeline was built===
-The initial version of the timeline was written by [[User:FIXME|FIXME]].
+The initial version of the timeline was written by [[User:Sebastian]].
 {{funding info}} is available.
@@ Line 32: / Line 257: @@
 ===What the timeline is still missing===
+*[https://resource-recycling.com/recycling/2018/02/13/green-fence-red-alert-china-timeline/]
 ===Timeline update strategy===
 ==See also==
+* [[Timeline of pollution]]
+* [[Timeline of pollution in Beijing]]
+* [[Timeline of pollution in India]]
 ==External links==