Beijing is back to the forefront of reforming emission standards in China. In line with the policies being implemented by the Chinese government throughout the country, Beijing has announced that the capital will implement its 6th stage emission regulation on automobiles in 2016.
While the plan is still currently under research and discussion, the 6th stage is said to include five parts that target light and heavy vehicles as well as oil the quality of oil products.
The new regulation's main mission is to reduce the amount of sulphur in oil. Copious amounts of the chemical in oil is one of the main factors that causes air pollution. Heavy smog that covers the city's skies is another byproduct of the presence of sulphur in oil.
The 6th stage emission regulation will be the first in China to use American emission standards, particularly regulations in California, which are considered to be the strictest regulations in the world.
According to analysts, American emission regulations are much more feasible than megacities like Beijing.
The 5th stage emission currently adopted in Beijing is modeled after European emission standards.
The capital started implementing emission regulations for automobiles in 1999. It's noteworthy that Beijing has always been ahead of other Chinese cities in terms of implementing emission regulations.
According to statistics, automobiles are responsible for the 31 percent of the smog in Beijing. Aside from the city's fleet of over five million motor vehicles, other primary pollutants include coal burning, dust from local construction sites, and dust storms that come all the way from the north.
Things have gotten worce in the capital that Beijing even experienced its first-ever dust storm last March.