Hebei Province works to stop using coal (煤) for heating (供暖). About 2.2 million families in Hebei will use clean energy instead of coal for heating during the winter to reduce the air pollution.
Winter heating with clean energy is the most important measure for helping to protect the air and the environment greatly.
In recent years, over 5 million families have started using clean energy for heating. "When working hard to protect the air, we should make sure that all families can have a warm winter with enough clean energy in those areas or clean coal in areas that haven't started to use the clean energy for heating," Yuan Tongli said.
Some people living in villages may not want to use clean energy because they have enough coal in their homes and don't want to change. Officials from Hebei Province will work to stop them from using coal for heating.
"For areas that haven't started to use clean energy for heating, families need to use clean coal for heating. Hebei Province has provided enough clean coal to be used in the province," Hebei Daily said.
Some other cities in northern China such as those in Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong and Henan will also use clean energy for heating soon.