China has managed to reduce emissions of sulphur dioxide, the cause of acid rain, for the first time in four years, raising hopes that a government drive to enforce power plant pollution controls is taking effect.
SO2 emissions fell 1.81 per cent year-on-year in the first nine months of 2007, despite rapid growth in electricity generation, the State Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) said.
The improvement is good news for regional neighbours such as South Korea and Japan that are deeply concerned about China as a source of acid rain – blamed for deforestation, crop damage, lake pollution and some health problems.
Taken together with a small decline in recorded chemical oxygen demand, a water-pollution indicator, the SO2 fall showed the “clear results” of strengthened anti-pollution work, Sepa said.
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