City of Beijing adopts Euro 5 emission targets
The Chinese capital of Beijing plans to become the first Chinese city to adopt the Chinese equivalent of the Euro 5 emission standards for motor vehicles in the first half of 2012.
The move is aimed at curbing the city's worsening air pollution, the city's environment protection agency said last week in a statement.
The new emission standards, known as "the State 5" in China, will require the use of gasoline or diesel with sulfur levels below 10 parts per million (ppm).
The existing emission standards applied in China, the State 4, are on par with the Euro 4. The State 4 requires the use of gasoline or diesel with sulfur levels lower than 50 ppm.
Beijing has the worst air pollution among Chinese cities, due largely to emissions from the city's ever-expanding vehicle fleet.
Sixty-six percent of the nitrogen oxide -- a key element of smog -- found in the atmosphere in China's cities comes from vehicle exhaust, according to the China Academy of Social Sciences, an official think-tank.
The tougher standard could reduce nitrogen oxide emissions more than 10 percent for gasoline vehicles and more than 7 percent for diesels.
The new rule also will significantly cut particulates from vehicle exhaust, according to the city's environment protection agency.
