China: The city of Beijing will ban the construction of new oil refining, steel, cement and thermal power plants as well as the expansion of existing projects, in accordance with the government's latest policy document aimed at tackling air pollution.
The ban will take effect from March 2014. The policy document, which was approved by local legislature in mid-January 2014, also commits China's capital city to cut total emissions of particulate matter (PM) 2.5 by 5% in 2014.
Beijing was hit by weeks of hazardous smog in January 2013, prompting the central government to pledge tough new measures to improve air quality throughout the country and head off public disquiet about the environmental costs of economic growth.