China’s War on Pollution: Evidence from the First 5 Years

Abstract

The decade from 2010 to 2019 marked a significant turning point in China’s approach to environmental regulation and pollution. This article describes the recent trends in air and water quality, with a focus on the 5 years following the Chinese government’s announcement of its “war on pollution” in 2014. We review the emerging literature that has taken advantage of recent improvements in data availability and accuracy to understand the social, economic, and health impacts of environmental pollution in China.