China has reduced sulphur dioxide emissions by more than two-thirds in the last 15 years
China has dramatically reduced local air pollution levels — particularly in its biggest cities — in the last decade. One rapidly declining pollutant is sulphur dioxide (SO2), which generates smog, causes ecologically-damaging acid rain, and is associated with higher rates of lung cancer and other respiratory issues. China has been able to make remarkable gains in curbing S02 emissions by putting emissions limits on coal plants and introducing desulphurization technologies that remove SO2 from smokestacks.