by Matteo Cavallito<\/p>\n
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China’s capital has issued new rules to combat soil pollution<\/strong> by controlling the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers and strengthening monitoring on industrial plants. The rules, which will take effect next year, are part of initiatives led by provincial governments to implement a national law on the issue adopted in 2019 according to China Dialogue<\/a>, an environmental nonprofit organization based in London and Beijing.<\/p>\n “China<\/strong> has been grappling with severe soil pollution for years,” the association writes. “In 2014, 16.1% of soil samples collected from around the country showed evidence of pollution,” whose primary sources “in the last century are non-ferrous metal mining, smelting and discharge of industrial effluent.” The phenomenon “poses a threat to the quality of arable land<\/strong> and food security.”<\/p>\n