Shenzhen’s green competitiveness ranked first among 289 cities in the country in 2021, according to a bulletin released by the Shenzhen Municipal Ecology Environment Bureau recently. The bulletin introduced the city’s ecological environment conditions last year, with the average PM2.5 concentration dropping to 18 micrograms per cubic meter, a new record low since Shenzhen started to monitor its air quality. In addition, the city’s AQI (Air Quality Index) showed an excellent rate of 96.2%, with the city’s air quality ranking eighth out of 168 key Chinese cities. Moreover, Shenzhen’s energy and carbon emission intensities were only one-fifth of the national averages. Last year, the city had two hazy days, a decrease of one day year on year. The AQI for 351 days reached the national first (excellent) and second (good) levels. In terms of water environment, in addition to two reservoirs under construction, all the other reservoirs in the city reached national surface water quality standards. The local disposal and utilization capacity of solid waste increased to 243,000 tons per day, up by 38,000 tons per day year on year. All kinds of solid waste were 100% disposed of safely and the recycling rate of domestic garbage exceeded 45%. Shenzhen also carried out a targeted campaign last year to investigate a total of 2,748 cases of environmental violations and imposed 113 million yuan (US$16.84 million) worth of fines. The number of complaints over construction site noise from the public declined 32.9% year on year, according to the bulletin.