Most of the major cities in China fail on air quality

In 66 of China's 74 major cities, including Beijing, the air quality failed to meet basic standards in 2014.

China's Environment Ministry said that the worst-performing city was Baoding, an industrial center in Hebei province, while the best air was in Haikou, the capital of the southern island province of Hainan, The Associated Press reports. Ratings were based on samples of major pollutants, including PM2.5, PM10, carbon monoxide, ozone, and nitrogen dioxide.

China is the biggest greenhouse-gas emitter in the world, and it recently started to publish updates on levels of PM2.5, which are small particles that in high quantities can impact visibility and increase health problems. In November, the country said it would stop the increase in its carbon emissions by 2030 and aim to cut coal usage by 75 percent by 2022.

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