SHENZHEN held the opening ceremony of its publicity campaign for the 2021 World Environment Day in Tencent Binhai Building, June 5, to commend a number of organizations and individuals who have made achievements in protecting the ecology and the environment. Themed “Harmonious co-existence between man and nature with low-carbon lifestyle and green fashion,” the campaign aims to encourage the whole society to be engaged in environmental protection. In the ceremony, the Municipal Ecology Environment Bureau released its 2020 bulletin on the ecology and environment status of Shenzhen. Last year, the overall environmental quality in Shenzhen was well maintained. The good and moderate rate of Air Quality Index rose to 97 percent, a year-on-year increase of 6 percentage points. The average concentration of PM2.5 declined to 19 micrograms per cubic meter. The water quality of all water sources in Shenzhen reached up to standards. Five main rivers in Shenzhen met Class IV or above of surface water standards in both national and provincial tests. Coastal seawaters in the east conformed to the top level of national standards. Moderate noise level and low radiation in the metropolis contributed to the environmental improvement as well. The weighted average level of noise along traffic arteries was 68.9 decibels, 0.8 decibels lower than the previous year. According to the sample survey of 396 plots of land last year, the safe utilization rate of contaminated land was 100 percent. The forest area of Shenzhen is 78,053.65 hectares, with a forest coverage rate of 39.39 percent. Shenzhen was included in the fourth batch of the National Ecological Civilization Construction Demonstration City list, and was the first and only sub-provincial city in China to be awarded this honor. (Hu Leyi) | 