Beijing will close coal-fired power plants and facilities, and stop using and selling coal and its related products by the end of 2020 in an attempt to reduce air pollution, according to news reports.

Xinhuanet reports the districts of Dongcheng, Xicheng, Chaoyang, Haidian, Fengtai and Shijingshan will ban coal and replace it with clean energy including electricity and natural gas for use in heating, cooking and other activities.

Other high-pollution fuels, such as fuel oil, petroleum coke, combustible waste and some biomass fuel will be also banned, according to the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau.

In other attempts to curb air pollution, Beijing also plans to replace its oil-burning buses with new models powered by electricity or natural gas by 2017.

Photo Credit: Beijing smog by Hung Chung Chih / Shutterstock.com