How does the average Chinese person feel about air quality today? It’s a question that seems even more pressing nowadays considering that in 2018, China appeared to slow down in its aggressive, government-led “war against air pollution.”

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Despite a temporary setback, China has made significant progress in cutting carbon emissions. In March 2018, the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute released a report titled, “Is China winning the war against air pollution?”

The title reflected tentative hope among environmental analysts. After four years of battle, 2017 brought improvements of between 21-42% in the air quality of China’s biggest cities—the US, by contrast, had taken 12 years to achieve similar results. The figures measured the concentration of harmful PM2.5 particles (airborne particulate matter measuring 2.5 micrometers or less in diameter), and mostly met or surpassed goals set in a 2013 National Air Quality Action Plan. While still falling short of the World Health Organization’s recommendations, the improved air added an average 2.4 years to the life expectancy of citizens.

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