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Beijing launched the Clean Air Action Plan on Friday, pledging that a 2 percent reduction in major pollutants will be achieved by the end of the year.
Under the plan, the capital will introduce stricter standards in various fields to tackle pollution.
This includes transforming coal-fired boilers, scrapping old polluting vehicles, and imposing stricter standards for companies to build plants in the city, according to the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau.
Zhai Xiaohui, a publicity officer from the bureau, said: "The capital will continuously pay attention to PM2.5, or airborne particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, to improve air quality and make the city a more pleasant place to live."
Under the plan, Beijing will scrap 180,000 old vehicles this year, on top of the 370,000 it got rid of in 2012.
The subsidy policy for individual purchases of electric cars will be released by the end of the year, according to a report by The Mirror.
Li Kunsheng, director of the bureau's department of motor vehicles, said that together with the implementation of a stricter automobile emissions standard, the scrapping of old, polluting vehicles will greatly improve the city's air quality.
There are more than 5.2 million cars in Beijing, and the figure is expected to reach 6 million by 2015, according to the bureau.
No more construction projects using fuels that cause heavy pollution, including coal and residual oil - a dark oil consisting mainly of hydrocarbons - will be allowed in the capital.
The city will further weed out more than 450 heavily polluting enterprises, especially in the construction, coal and cement industry.
A total of 44,000 aging single-story houses and coal-burning boilers in downtown areas will be replaced by clean-energy sources, under the plan.
Another 23,330 hectares of fields will be covered with plants in 2013 to provide a green shield for the city and guard against dust.
Zhai said: "Despite the action plan, the public are also encouraged to make efforts to improve the environment, including using fewer fireworks and resorting to bicycles for outings. It requires efforts by the whole of society."
zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn
