China seems to be serious about getting rid of those dark clouds swirling across its skies, which are embarrassingly the symbol of the growing menace of air pollution in the world's most populous country.

Speaking at the 12th National People's Congress on Sunday, Chinese premier Li Keqiang vowed to reduce the steel production by 50 million metric tons and coal production by 150 million metric tons in 2017. This is the second year in a row that China is consciously trying to cut down on its steel and coal production as the Asian giant ups the ante in its fight against air pollution.

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Li raised the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) report at the parliament to outline some of the goals in the country's ongoing fight against air pollution. Citing the report, he said that authorities would halt the construction of coal-fired power plants with a capacity of more than 50 million kilowatts.  He further added that they would reduce the energy consumption per capita by 3.4 percent and bring down carbon intensity by 4 percent in the current year.

The Chinese government will continue to bring down the production till 2020; setting an ambitious target of reducing 100 million-150 million tonnes of steel capacity and nearly 800 million tonnes of outdated coal capacity.

The premier warned that if any officials are deemed to be working against these goals and prescribed laws, they would not be spared at any cost.

"Officials who do a poor job in enforcing the law, knowingly allow environmental violations, or respond inadequately to worsening air quality will be held accountable," Li said, adding that "We will make our skies blue again." 

China is the world's largest coal and steel manufacturer. This has helped the Asian economy over the years to produce millions of jobs and swell its national treasure with millions of tax collection. However, the glut of coal and steel in the country have been equally responsible for giving China the ominous title of being one of the "most polluted countries in the world."   

The infamous title has brought along with it the pressure from the global community on the Chinese government to curb the menace of air pollution. Resultantly, the government has taken several steps including last year's bold decision to close down several so-called zombie factories.

Although the decision to shut down the zombie factories may have been economically motivated, it is expected to bring down the level of green house gases across the country.  

Tagschina, China steel overcapacity, China Coal Production, air pollution in China