BEIJING — The Ministry of Environmental Protection has urged local authorities to ensure environmentally friendly fuel is used for heating this winter.

The coal commonly burned in Chinese heating systems has long contributed to the country’s notorious smog.

The ministry also called for better forecasting of air pollution and a more effective emergency response in a notice issued on Oct 29.

The average density of PM 2.5, hazardous tiny airborne particles, in the cold period from mid-November 2014 to mid-March 2015 in North China’s Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region was 1.27 times the annual average, according to official monitoring.

China’s meteorological authority has warned of a lack of wind and precipitation this winter that will be conducive to a buildup of smog.