14 DAY TRIAL // It's been a while since we last talked about it, but air quality in China is still fairly poor. So much that, according to media reports from this part of the world, it has managed to annoy some high officials into going after polluting companies and businesses.
Not to beat about the bush, The New York Times informs that the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau has until now “awarded” $1.7 million (about €1.2 million) in fines to local companies and business found guilty of having violated air pollution standards.
In fact, it was in March and April alone that as many as 171 air pollution standards violations were pinned down while carrying out inspections at as many as 3,300 companies and business in this urban area in China.
The same source details that, when compared to the fines that the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau imposed during the same time frame back in 2013, the ones documented this year represent an increase of about 100%.
As reported on several occasions, China is now dealing with a major air pollution crisis that has made local air almost unbreathable. It is believed that the country's intense use of coal as an energy source, together with its heavily industrialized ways, are the ones to blame.