Difference between revisions of "Timeline of pollution in China"

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This is a '''timeline of pollution in China'''.
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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==
 
==Big picture==
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! Time period !! Development summary  
 
! Time period !! Development summary  
 
|-
 
|-
| 1950s || ". Back in the 1950s, Chairman Mao ordered 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>
+
| 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 1970s that encouraged development in rural industries further exacerbated the 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>
+
| 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 || "Epidemiological studies conducted since the 1980s in northern China suggest that poor air quality in Chinese cities causes significant health complications, including respiratory, cardiovascular, and cerebrovascular diseases"<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/> "Air pollution levels in the main Chinese cities at the beginning of the 1980s were almost exactly at the level of 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"/>
+
| 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> 
 
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|-
 
|}
 
|}
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{| class="sortable wikitable"
 
{| 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"/>
 +
|-
 +
| 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>
 
|-
 
|-
| 1972 || || || "It wasn’t until the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment that China began 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>
+
| 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>
 
|-
 
|-
| 1978 || || || The Third Chinese Constitution is issued with inclusion of an environmental commission.<ref name="Air Pollution Control Policies in China: A Retrospective and Prospects"/>
+
| 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"/>
 
|-
 
|-
| 1979 || || || The Chinese Government issues an Environmental Protection Law on a trial basis.<ref name="Air Pollution Control Policies in China: A Retrospective and Prospects"/>
+
| 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"/>
 
|-
 
|-
| 1981 - 2000 || || || "Chen’s research team compiled government data from 1981 to 2000 showing that air pollution was 55% higher in the northern region."<ref name="Business created China's pollution problem"/>
+
| 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>
 
|-
 
|-
| 1982 || || || Chinese legislature enacts the Marine Environmental Protection Law.<ref name="Regulating Land and Pollution in China: Lawmaking, Compliance, and Enforcement : Theory and Cases"/>
+
| 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"/>
 
|-
 
|-
| 1984 || || || 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"/>
+
| 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"/>
 
|-
 
|-
| 1984 || || || 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"/>
+
| 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>
 
|-
 
|-
| 1985 || || || 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"/>
+
| 2010 || || General || Policy || The Island Conservation Law is enacted.<ref name="Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China"/>
 
|-
 
|-
| 1987 || || || 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"/>
+
| 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>
 
|-
 
|-
| 1989 || || || The Chinese Government formally issues an Environmental Protection Law.<ref name="Air Pollution Control Policies in China: A Retrospective and Prospects"/>
+
| 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"/>
 
|-
 
|-
| 1990 - 2015 || || || According to Global Burden of Disease Study, estimated China’s annual premature deaths attributable to PM2.5 and O3 average values of around 1 to 1.2 million deaths in the period.<ref name="Air Pollution Control Policies in China: A Retrospective and Prospects"/>
+
| 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"/>
 
|-
 
|-
| 1996 || || || The Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law is amended.<ref name="Regulating Land and Pollution in China: Lawmaking, Compliance, and Enforcement : Theory and Cases"/>
+
| 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>
 
|-
 
|-
| 2000 || || || The Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law is amended.<ref name="Regulating Land and Pollution in China: Lawmaking, Compliance, and Enforcement : Theory and Cases"/>
+
| 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>
 
|-
 
|-
| 2002 || || || A new Environmental Impact Assessment Law in amended.<ref name="Regulating Land and Pollution in China: Lawmaking, Compliance, and Enforcement : Theory and Cases"/>
+
| 2013 || || {{w|Water pollution}} || Policy || The Fisheries Law is amended.<ref name="Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China"/>
 
|-
 
|-
| 2003 || || || "In 2003, the Chinese Academy for Environmental Planning determined that air pollution was responsible for 411,000 premature deaths across China"<ref name="Business created China's pollution problem"/>
+
| 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>
 
|-
 
|-
| 2006 - 2010 || || || China starteso 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"/>  
+
| 2013 || || {{w|Solid waste}} || Policy || The Solid Waste Pollution Prevention and Control Law is amended.<ref name="Routledge Handbook of Environmental Policy in China"/>
 
|-
 
|-
| 2007 || || || "China is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, having overtaken the United States in 2007, and was responsible for 27 percent of global emissions in 2014."<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/>
+
| 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"/>
 
|-
 
|-
| 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>
+
| 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>
 
|-
 
|-
| 2008 || || || 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.<ref name="How China is cleaning up its air pollution faster than the post-Industrial UK"/>
+
| 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"/>
 
|-
 
|-
| 2010 || || || "China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection calculates estimates the cost of pollution at around 1.5 trillion RMB ($227 billion), or roughly 3.5 percent of GDP, according to 2010 figures. "<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"/>
 
|-
 
|-
| 2010 || || || "According to Chinese census data, nearly half of households primarily used solid fuels for cooking in 2010, and four out of five of these households were in rural areas "<ref name="air pollution in china"/>
+
| 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"/>
 
|-
 
|-
| 2010 || || || 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.<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>
+
| 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>
 
|-
 
|-
| 2012 - 2014 || || || "China’s National Energy Agency claimed that coal use dropped to 64.2 percent of the mix in 2014, down almost two percent from 2012."<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/>
+
| 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>
 
|-
 
|-
| 2013 || January - February || || 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"/>
+
| 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"/>
 
|-
 
|-
| 2013 || || || "China’s government said it was declaring war on pollution in 2013 and efforts to curb smog 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>
+
| 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"/>
 
|-
 
|-
| 2013 || || || " In 2013, Chen Jiping, former leading member of the party’s Committee of Political and Legislative Affairs said that environmental issues are a major reason for “mass incidents” in China—unofficial gatherings of one hundred or more that range from peaceful protest to rioting. "<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>
 
|-
 
|-
| 2013 || || || ", and in 2013 the discovery of thousands of dead pigs in the Huangpu river also spread rapidly online."<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/>
+
| 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"/>
 
|-
 
|-
| 2013 < || || || "The market for devices that help keep indoor air clean by filtrating outdoor air before it enters the dwelling has sky rocketed since 2013 along with increasing use of face masks – now even available in fashionable patterns – 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>
+
| 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"/>
 
|-
 
|-
| 2013 || December || || "In December 2013, China’s National Development and Reform Commission, the top economic planning agency, issued its first nationwide blueprint [PDF] for climate change, outlining an extensive list of objectives for 2020. "<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 || January || || "Since January 2014, the central government has required 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}} || 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 || || || "China is the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, having overtaken the United States in 2007, and was responsible for 27 percent of global emissions in 2014."<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 || March || || ": Chinese Premier Li Keqiang declared a “war on pollution” in March 2014; "<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/>
+
| 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>
 
|-
 
|-
| 2014 || May || || "in May of the same year the government strengthened the country’s Environmental Protection Law for the first time in twenty-five years. "<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/>
+
| 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>
 
|-
 
|-
| 2014 || || || "There were a record 17 million new cars on the road in 2014, further contributing to China’s high emissions. "<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/>
+
| 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"/>
 
|-
 
|-
| 2014 || November || || " In a November 2014 joint statement on climate change with the United States, China committed 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"/>
+
| 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"/>
 
|-
 
|-
| 2014 || || {{w|Water pollution}} || " In 2014, groundwater supplies in more than 60 percent of major cities were categorized as “bad to very bad,” and more than a quarter of China’s key rivers are “unfit for human contact.” "<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/>
+
| 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>
 
|-
 
|-
| 2014 || || || "China is one of the biggest investors in renewables, investing nearly $90 billion in 2014 as part of its pledge to cut its carbon intensity (far outspending the United States’ $51.8 billion)."<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/>
+
| 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"/>
 
|-
 
|-
| 2014 || || || 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>
+
| 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 || || || " In 2015, China’s coal power plant capacity increased by 55 percent in the first six months, 155 new coal-fired plants were approved, and China admitted that it had underreported its annual coal consumption since 2000."<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/>
+
| 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 || March || || " In March 2015, Under the Dome, a TED Talk-style documentary on China’s air pollution, went viral, attracting hundreds of thousands of views before internet censors blocked access"<ref name="China’s Environmental Crisis"/>
+
| 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>
 
|-
 
|-
| 2015 || || || "According to estimates for China, there were about 1.5 million premature deaths attributable to PM2.5 exposure in 2015, 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"/>
+
| 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>
 
|-
 
|-
| 2015 || || || "The rate of deaths attributable to air pollution in total in 2015 (i.e. including ambient PM2.5, ozone and HAP) is estimated at about 115 deaths per 100,000 people. For comparison, the estimated figure for India was 138 deaths per 100,000 people, 49 in Japan, 43 in Western Europe and 31 in the US"<ref name="air pollution in china"/>
+
| 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>  
 
|-
 
|-
| 2015 || || {{w|Water pollution}} || 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>
+
| 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"/>
 
|-
 
|-
| 2016 || || || 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>
+
| 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>
 
|-
 
|-
| 2016 || September || || 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}} || 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 || || || ". More recently, President Xi Jinping, on a state visit to Washington, announced that China would initiate a national cap-and-trade emissions program in 2017."<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 || 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 || || || "The China’s 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 WHO."<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 || 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 || 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>
+
| 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 || July || || 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 || 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 || September || {{w|Light pollution}} || Chinese scientists from the 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>
+
| 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 ==
 +
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=== 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]]
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=== 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]]
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=== 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>
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[[File:Pollution in China wv.png|thumb|center|450px]]
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==Meta information on the timeline==
 
==Meta information on the timeline==
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===What the timeline is still missing===
 
===What the timeline is still missing===
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*[https://resource-recycling.com/recycling/2018/02/13/green-fence-red-alert-china-timeline/]
  
 
===Timeline update strategy===
 
===Timeline update strategy===

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]

Pollution in China wv.png


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

Timeline update strategy

See also

External links

References

  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. 
  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. 
  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. 
  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. 
  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 5201360Freely accessible. PMID 27941665. doi:10.3390/ijerph13121219. 
  6. 6.0 6.1 Babones, Salvatore. "Red Alert for China's pollution protesters". aljazeera.com. Retrieved 7 June 2019. 
  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. 
  8. 8.0 8.1 "AFTER THE AIRPOCALYPSE – 5 WAYS CHINA IS BECOMING A GLOBAL CLIMATE LEADER". climaterealityproject.org. Retrieved 10 June 2019. 
  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. 
  10. 10.0 10.1 YEO, SOPHIE. "Analysis: Decline in China's coal consumption accelerates". carbonbrief.org. Retrieved 10 June 2019. 
  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". 
  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. 
  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. 
  17. 17.0 17.1 "China Is Burning Away Its Ecological Future". foreignpolicy.com. Retrieved 8 June 2019. 
  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. 
  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. 
  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. 
  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. 
  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. 
  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. 
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