CCTV.com
July 17, 2006

Saying no to coal gas will help Beijing reduce its coal consumption by nearly three million tons each year – part of China’s drive to clean up its polluted capital ahead of the 2008 Summer Olympics.

The Beijing Coke-Oven Plant, built in 1958 to pump coal gas to the capital’s urban areas for cooking and heating, is shutting down. These days, households in the city are using natural gas, as part of the country’s effort to clean up its polluted capital ahead of the 2008 Summer Olympics. The government said last month that China’s drive for economic growth was in direct conflict with efforts to improve the environment. The warning came amid rising public concern about smoggy skies and toxic spills that are poisoning rivers and drinking water, despite government pledges to clean up in time for the Olympics. Saying no to coal gas will help Beijing reduce its coal consumption by nearly three million tons each year.