China is not the only country that is facing the air pollution problem, however, they are working hard to improve the air quality and reduce the emissions. In 2017, China decided to shut down 40% of its factories and also announced plans to ban the diesel-powered cars. In 2018, they developed the world’s largest smog tower which is capable to reduce the air pollution by 15%. After these steps, China is now set to take another step towards the betterment of their environment. The country has decided to plant trees on an area of 84,000 square kilometers.
China has an estimated 208 million hectares of area that is covered with forests. During the year 2018, they plan to increase the area of forests from 21 to 23%. They have assigned the job to 60,000 soldiers. A regiment of the People’s Liberation Army and nation’s armed police force have been pulled from their posts in the northern border to complete the plantation project. The head of China’s State Forestry Administration said that the area of forests of the country should at least reach 26% in less than 20 years. Most of the troops are sent to the heavily-polluted area of Hebei near Beijing. This area contributes most to the smog problem of the country. The province has pledged to increase its forest coverage to 35% by the year 2020.
It is good to see that China is taking its air pollution so seriously, however, it is unlikely that the trees will solve the problem. China’s forest coverage is at 21% already and they still have a significant amount of smog in the country.
An additional 2% of the forests will help but it will still not be able to change the quality of China’s air significantly. Efforts, like banning diesel-engine car and pushing renewable energy to come into play, will also help support the cause of the country.