China scrapping millions of cars to curb emissions

Up to six million vehicles could be taken off the road in China by the end of the year following the announcement of new plans to tackle the country's growing pollution crisis. The central government has announced that it will be scrapping vehicles that do not meet with current emissions standards in a bid to reduce greenhouse gas output.

China has been in the spotlight on the world stage in recent months as its smog problem has continued to worsen due to air pollution. As air quality has consistently remained low, having implications on human health and the world's efforts to slow climate change, the country has taken new steps to deal with the issue.

The latest announcement is part of a plan published by the State Council, which aims to reduce emissions over the next two years by targeting key industries. According to the cabinet, some of the emissions targets that were viable for the period 2011 to 2013 were not met, meaning that more needs to be done to deal with the country's air pollution.

Of the six million vehicles that will be scrapped, around a fifth will be in the northern regions of the country. This area has been the worst hit by air pollution and needs stricter measures to combat low air quality. The Hebei province, which is home to seven of the smoggiest cities in China, will have to take 660,000 cars off the roads. Beijing will need to scrap up to 333,000 cars that don't meet with emissions standards, while Shanghai will have to take 160,000 vehicles off the roads.

These vehicles will be scrapped by the end of the year, with more being taken off the roads in 2015. Next year, up to five million vehicles will be removed from developed regions of China, including the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze river delta and the Pearl river delta.

State news agency, Xinhua, said the latest plan will help the country to meet some of its emissions targets. This includes reducing energy consumption, and cutting down on nitrogen oxides by five per cent and sulphur dioxide by two per cent each year.