People in China faced an increased threat from choking smog in 2015. Just last week, forty cities in north China, including Beijing and Tianjin, issued alerts for air pollution. And on the first day of 2016, the country’s new Air Pollution Control Law takes effect. The new law restricts various sources of smog and makes information on environmental cleanliness more readily available to the public.

The law stipulates that a gasoline quality standard should be established and matched with the country’s restrictions on major pollutants. It provides that China should promote clean and efficient use of coal, obliging local governments to ban low-quality coal for residential use.

Meanwhile, the law also provides greater environmental transparency to the public. It stipulates authorities of the State Council should evaluate provincial-level governments on their attainment of air quality improvement targets.