The initiative, prepared by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, lists mercury among the main pollutants and includes the eradication of obsolete industrial units.

Local governments are called to raise the environmental standards of the manufacturing sector and are given power to close facilities that do not meet these requirements.

Among other aspects, regulators will tighten supervision on projects for the construction or expansion of plants in order to ensure the protection of the environment.

Official data indicates that heavy metal emissions in China’s wastewater fell from 167.8 tons in 2016 to 120.7 tons in 2019.

Aside from the plan, the Ministry plans to soon work with the United States to establish a task force to address the challenges of climate change.

Said platform will allow the parties to frequently analyze the issue and seek specific initiatives that allow progress in its solution in this decade.

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