Shanghai, a major metropolis in east China, will adopt stricter auto emission standards equivalent to Euro II next month in order to force excessive polluters off the road, according to state environment authorities.
Effective March 1, new motor vehicles failing to meet the standards will not be registered by Shanghai's traffic enforcement departments, the State Environment Protection Administration (SEPA)said on Tuesday.
SEPA will examine samples from new models to be sold on the Shanghai market to ensure that they meet the new standards and will then publish a list of models that pass the inspection.
The environmental protection department of Shanghai will conduct its own selective inspection of mass produced new cars on the market. Cars failing to meet the standards will not be permitted to be sold or operated in Shanghai even if they have passed the SEPA test.
Environmental protection experts expect the stricter standards, roughly equivalent to Europe II, which were used in the 1990s, to help reduce the emission of nitric oxides and other major pollutants found in automobile exhaust by up to 50 percent.
Shanghai will become the second Chinese city to enforce the new emission standards set by SEPA. The Chinese capital of Beijing adopted them last August as part of efforts to improve air quality before the 2008 Olympic Games.
Nationwide adoption of the standards is expected by 2005.
A frequent host of international events, Shanghai has become increasingly self-motivated to curb air pollution caused by auto emissions.
The city won the bid to host the 2010 World Exposition two months ago.
Air pollution resulting from auto emissions has become a significant environmental problem in major Chinese cities as growing numbers of affluent residents purchase cars.
(Xinhua News Agency January 28, 2003)
