A report on Shanghai’s environmental conditions and the completion of environmental protection goals in 2020 was released on March 23.

The daily excellent rating of Shanghai's ambient air quality index (AQI) in 2020 was 87.2 percent, a 2.5 percent increase compared with last year, the best level in history.

All the six conventional pollutants indicators of PM2.5, PM10, SO2, CO, NO2 and O3 reached the secondary standard of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for the first time, with the indicators of SO2 and CO continuing to meet the primary standard.

Since Shanghai has satisfactorily realized its 2020 ecological goals, it is now on a new journey to build itself into an even greener city. Cheng Peng, director of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Ecology and Environment said that, this year, the city aims to control the annual average PM2.5 concentrations at below 35 micrograms/m3. The quality of soil and groundwater, as well as the ecological environment of the coastal waters should remain stable and the total emission of major pollutants should be reduced to the required level.

50,000 mu (8,237 acres) of forest area will be added in the city this year, and the investment in environmental protection will remain at about 3% of the city's GDP.

The development of green and low-carbon industries will be accelerated through drafting the Shanghai Carbon Peak Action Plan, constructing a national-level carbon emission trading institution, promoting the carbon neutrality demonstration of Chongming Island and launching the third round of comprehensive environmental improvement in Jinshan district.