China's transparency faces reality

Data transparency over air pollutants in China's major cities has led to officials stating it could be 20 years before city dwellers breath healthy air.

According to Wu Dui, a haze expert at the Guangdong Meteorological Agency, Europe and the US took 50 years to deal with pollution problems, and even if China were to half this time, it would still be 20 to 30 years before pollution was under control.

The sober tone comes as the government plans to publically release data on PM2.5, which account for more than half of the country's air-borne contaminants and have the most damaging impact on human health.

The comments, published in the Beijing Times, publically reveal the reduced expectations from the government in battling the foul smogs that plague urban China.

According to the government, 70 per cent of the air in Chinese cities meets existing national standards, however, health campaigners, as well as data from the US government, have revealed that air pollutants are at dangerous levels.