Clear water and blue skies in Nantong. [Photo provided by Xu Congjun to en.nantong.gov.cn]

Nantong in Jiangsu province took the lead in the province last year in terms of its average PM 2.5 concentration and proportion of days with good air quality, according to a press conference held by the municipal government on June 5.

In 2023, the proportion of days with good air quality in Nantong reached 84.5 percent, the city's average concentration of PM 2.5 and ozone was 27 micrograms per cubic meter and 166 mcg/cu m, respectively, and 16 of its river fracture surfaces under national examination reached Grade-III standards.

All these achievements can be attributed to the improved institutional system and the city's enhanced capability to protect its natural environment.

Last year, Nantong authorities pushed the rectification of 954 various environment-related issues, designated 2,534 square kilometers of ecological preservation areas, and completed the green transformation of 198 enterprises.

In addition, eight of its enterprises were recognized as national green factories and installed renewable power capacity surpassed 12 million kilowatts, ranking second in Jiangsu.

The city has also offered subsidies to those that replace volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) with pollution-free raw materials and treat VOCs pollution.

This year, Nantong will pay closer attention to the treatment of pollutant sources and further reduce the emission of pollutants by adjusting industrial, energy, and transportation structures.

The city is aiming to achieve 84.2 percent of days with good air quality and have all of its river fracture surfaces under national examination meet Grade-III standards this year.