By Hauwa Ali
The government of Hainan island in South China has announced that it will become China’s first region to ban sales of gasoline- and diesel-powered cars to curb climate-changing carbon emissions.
The recent announcement which states that sales of fossil fuel-powered cars will be banned by 2030, comes as China struggles through its hottest, driest summer in decades, which has wilted crops and shrunk rivers and reservoirs used for generating hydropower.
“By 2030, the whole province will ban sales of fueled vehicles,” according to the plan, which was released recently.
Hainan aims to have electric vehicles account for 45% of its vehicles by 2030, the plan said, adding that cities would develop “zero-emissions zones” where fossil fuel-powered vehicles would be banned.
The ruling Communist Party is promoting electric cars to help clean up China’s smog-choked cities and gain an early lead in a growing industry. China accounted for more than half of last year’s global electric car sales.
