Shanghai released its ecological development goals for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) on Sept 10, outlining 18 indicators across four categories: environmental quality, green development, environmental governance, and ecological protection.

According to the plan, Shanghai aims to further reduce its annual average PM2.5 concentration to about 25 micrograms per cubic meter by 2030, a 4 percent improvement over the level achieved during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) period.

Shanghai will also advance its "zero-waste" initiative citywide, introducing a "zero-waste index". Efforts will accelerate to improve recycling systems for electronic waste, decommissioned wind turbine blades, solar panels, and retired power batteries.

This will facilitate the high-quality development of emerging industries, Shi Chun, chief engineer of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment, said.

To tackle noise pollution, the plan sets a target for nighttime noise compliance in designated zones, aiming for a rate above 90 percent.

Urban passenger transport will be a major area for the city's green transition. Maintaining its commitment to prioritizing public transit and slow traffic, Shanghai will keep green travel above 75 percent in the central city.

For transport and logistics, the city will improve multimodal transport and express delivery systems, optimize the transport mix, and pursue green, low-carbon operations.

By 2030, the share of containers transferred via water-to-water transshipment is expected to reach 55 percent. Shanghai will also optimize the layout of highway freight corridors, expand the network of charging and battery-swap facilities for heavy trucks, phase out high-polluting diesel trucks, and increase the share of new energy trucks in the medium- and heavy-duty segments.

Green fuel bunkering and trading will be strengthened. The port of Shanghai is expected to reach the million-cubic-meter level in bonded liquefied natural gas bunkering capacity by 2030, when its methanol and biofuel bunkering capacity is projected to reach the million-ton level.

As China's first cross-provincial demonstration zone of its kind, the Yangtze River Delta's ecological green integrated development zone, comprising parts of Shanghai and the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, will advance coordinated environmental impact assessments, carbon emission briefings, and direct interconnection of monitoring data over the next five years.

The zone will strengthen cross-regional coordination while establishing a coordinated mechanism for ecological environment zoning control. Joint efforts will build national-level ecological quality monitoring stations. National-level key laboratories for water pollution control and green resource recycling will be put into use in the next five years.

Focusing on agriculture, culture, tourism, commerce, sports, and exhibitions, the zone will activate its ecological and cultural resources, promote the coordinated revitalization of water town ancient towns, and jointly develop new cultural tourism products and routes. The zone should promote new business formats and events, including homestays, recreational vehicle campsites, nature-based therapy, and water sports.

Source: China Daily