China's environmental policies have been ineffective because of weak implementation, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said in a report released yesterday. By 2020, pollution would cause 600,000 premature deaths in urban areas and amount to 13% of China's gross domestic product, according to the Financial Times, citing the report. In order for the country to improve, the OECD recommended better monitoring, holding local leaders accountable and harsher penalties. China's environmental problems have been in the spotlight recently. The country was the world's top carbon dioxide emitter last year, surpassing the US. Each year 750,000 people die of pollution prematurely in the country.