Li Shixiang, Beijing’s executive vice mayor, said at the annual session of the National People’s Congress that Beijing has formulated 84 measures to deal with environmental issues and air pollution as it bids to host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. The city has had ongoing problems with smog, and officials are concerned about its chances of hosting the Games.
Xinhua reports that Li said Beijing is expected to cut its current coal consumption by more than half to 10 million tons a year by 2017. It will also impose tough controls over industrial pollution and dust from construction sites, while reducing the number of newly added vehicles every year to 150,000.
In November it was reported that Beijing and Zhangjiakou City in neighbouring Hebel Province will launch a joint 2022 Winter Games bid, with Beijing staging the ice events and Zhangjiakou the snow sports.
