China to scrap millions of older cars

The Chinese government is planning to take as many as 5.33 million cars off the road this year in an effort to improve air quality and reduce pollution.

Authorities will remove so-called “yellow label” cars that do not meet current fuel standards, Reuters reported, citing a government report released Monday. The government is trying to reduce pollution as residents become increasingly angered over smog.

{mosads}Beijing will see 330,000 cars eliminated, and an additional 660,000 will come from the surrounding Hebei province, which has seven of the country’s worst cities in terms of smog, Reuters said.

Cars are responsible for about 31 percent of Beijing’s particulate matter pollution, with 22.4 percent of the remainder coming from coal, Reuters reported.

China’s smog-reduction efforts also include a limit on the number of vehicles in the country, which will total 5.6 million this year and rise to 6 million in 2017.