China’s clean heating policies may have prevented over 23,000 premature deaths in 2021, study finds

China’s clean heating policies have improved air quality in the north of the country and potentially prevented more than 23,000 premature deaths in 2021 compared to 2015, according to a new study.

From 2015 to 2021, concentrations of PM2.5 – the fine and hazardous particles that are a key indicator of air pollution – dropped by 41 per cent in Beijing, Tianjin and 26 surrounding cities, known as the “2+26” cities, and by 13 per cent in other northern cities because of the policies, the study found.