Cleaner air in China due to global economic crisis

When talking about the most polluted country China is usually first thing on our mind which is really no surprise because in the last couple of years China has become synonym for air pollution and smog. But global slowdown in economy which also seriously affects China is doing some positive things and China can finally feel what fresh air is all about. But for how long?

Because of global financial crisis China's ever-increasing energy demand is slowing down, coal-fired power plants have reduced their activities, and air in China is much cleaner than it used to be couple of months ago. Since economy has slowed down it is now much easier for China's government to close many coal powered plants, and this is giving visible results in improved air quality in many Chinese cities. For instance, China's capitol Beijing is breathing one of its cleanest air, in nearly a decade, and same thing happened in many other cities across the China.

However many experts believe how this improved air quality is only temporary and as soon as economy starts recovering things will return to China's usual, namely dirty air once again. But this current situation should at least give China's government an opportunity to enact stricter emissions regulations, and enough time for for each power plant to to adjust their production methods according to these stricter regulations. Global state of the economy has really given China precious time to turn this crisis into an opportunity to enforce stricter regulations which would never happened if coal powered plants continued working with their full capacity.

It is up to China to make the best use of current crisis to improve its environmental conditions, and cleaner air is definitely one of the "must things" for China. China's government has so far spent billions of dollars to ensure clean air with very little effect because China's economy boom never gave them enough time to make the difference. This slowdown is just what China needs to ensure stricter regulation of future environmental standards because it has given China precious time needed for success of this action. Chance is there, and it is up to China to use it while it still can.