Elshinebal, a 50-year-old farmer in Tacheng, a city in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, used to burn coal for heating and cooking in his suburban bungalow and describes his coal-laden life back then as "dusty".
Key environmental indicators in Shanghai, such as air and water quality, had improved greatly during the period of the country's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-2020).
The Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued a regulation on carbon emissions trading, along with an allocation plan for emissions quotas on Jan 5. The regulation and the plan will take effect on Feb 1.