The 2013 China Environmental Situation Report showed the extent of the environmental costs of China’s economic growth last year.

Only Haikou, Zhoushan and Lhasa were considered to be at acceptable standards for pollution, whilst Beijing and Tianjin were deemed to have serious pollution problems.

Seven of the top ten polluted cities are located in Hebei province, with Xingtai, Shijiazhuang and Handan holding the highest spots. The situation in that area is unlikely to improve any time soon, as Beijing has big plans to relocate factories to the province, in a bid to improve air quality in the capital.

There were worrying statistics on the country’s water quality as well, with 60 percent of the 4,788 sites monitored receiving an assessment of ‘poor’, or ‘extremely poor’.

The vice minister of environmental protection was quoted describing the pollution problems as ‘serious’ and ‘not optimistic’.

Beijing only had 175 days of ‘good’ air last year, whilst Shanghai was reported to have had 241 days.

Whilst the government has promised to turn over a new leaf and prioritize environmental protection over development, and stricter environmental policies, it will have to face the fact that the damage caused by the pollution may be irreversible.

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Keywords: Pollution in China