Beijing to charge people for soot emissions

Beijing could soon charge people for the pollution they cause by cooking.

Authorities say they are looking at the prospect of setting a limit on lampblack, the fine soot created by cooking oil.

Beijing's 2013 Clean Air Action Plan also proposes charges for dust from construction sites and volatile organic compounds.

Prices of coal, oil, electricity and other resources will also be adjusted to reduce energy usage and emissions, the city's environmental protection bureau said.

The capital has vowed this year to strengthen efforts against PM2.5, particulate matter with a diameter smaller than 2.5 micrometers, and slash the density of major air pollutants, including sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, by 2 percent.

Coal consumption has been limited to 21.5 million metric tons, while 23,300 hectares of barren land will be transformed into green fields to form a stronger barricade against air pollution, authorities said.