BEIJING — Beijing saw the reading for a major air-pollution index fall to the lowest level in the January-November period since records began in 2013.

The city's average concentration of PM2.5 was 33 micrograms per cubic meter in the first 11 months of this year. It is also the lowest level in 28 cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and neighboring provinces, Yu Jianhua, deputy director of the Beijing municipal ecology and environment bureau, told a press briefing on Dec 28.

The PM2.5 reading is a gauge monitoring airborne particles of 2.5 microns or less in diameter, which can penetrate deep into people's lungs and pose serious health risks.

The improved air quality was achieved following impactful measures, including limiting the total amount of carbon emissions and carbon intensity.

In 2021, authorities in Beijing issued quotas for big carbon emitters and helped establish a voluntary greenhouse gas-emission reduction alliance, the official said.