Coal mine in China. (Wikimedia)

China has pledged to stop operations of at least 2,000 coal mines by 2015 in its bid to regulate production of the raw commodity and clean up the air.

Mines due for closure are those which only produce 90,000 tons of coal annually. This was according to China's cabinet in a statement made Saturday, adding other mines that consistently fail to comply to safety rules will also be closed.

The State Council, China's cabinet, said it will no longer be approving new construction of coal mine projects, which only has an annual production capacity of less than 300,000 tons. Construction of 900,000-ton per year capacity projects will likewise be disapproved if they will only low quality coal.

China currently has over 12,000 operating coal mines.

In 2012, at least 1,384 people have died in various coal mine accidents in China, which are the deadliest in the world, as reported by the official Xinhua News Agency.

In the same year, China canceled the operations of 628 smaller coal mines, improved the technological capacities of 622 mines and merged 388 mines.

urface coal mining in Wyoming in the United States (Wikimedia)

The development will surely rock the sector and displace business owners and workers. The State Council vowed to offer financial incentives to help owners as they work on the closure of their small or unsafe mines. Large scale miners will be encouraged to take on the smaller ones.

The government will provide additional incentives to the areas that will hasten the closure of their mines.

China, which has been gripped by a series of air pollution menaces since the year started, has been working around the clock to curb environmental threats. Aside from coal mine closures, it has seriously encouraged its various sectors and industries to develop alternative industries and improve its infrastructure.