Many suspect that bluer skies, more breathable air and less filth on windows or cars mark an end to Nanjing’s pollution woes.
With good reason. Not only has the government assured the public that their requests for investigations into factories that are potential polluters will be met in a timely manner, it has begun charging such polluters with cleanup costs. Hot on the heals of this comes news that Jiangsu is to close a further 1,000 chemical factories over the next 3 years.
On 4 September 2018, the Jiangsu Provincial Government announced at a press conference that it is to “speed up the transformation and upgrading of high-quality chemicals, steel, coal and power industry”.
“By 2020, the province will shut down 1,000 chemical enterprises with environmental protection standards and safety hazards. All chemical parks that do not meet standards will be shut down”, reported Nanjing Morning News.
A reward and punishment mechanism is to be established, and the high-quality development of industry is to be promoted, in order to better support companies to support environmental cleanup efforts.
