Beijing dirty air. Beijing or Silent Hill? A thermal power plant emits heavy smog in the city of Changchun, northeast China's Jilin province.
In another round of fighting smog in China, Beijing has shut down its last coal-fired power plant. Back in 2015, the government announced that it would close all of the city's carbon-fired coal stations by 2017, three years ahead of schedule. And it seems that the authorities kept their word. The Huaneng thermal power plant started using coal in 1999, providing heating for about 26 million square meters in the capital. It also pumped out hundreds of tons of pollutants a year, including sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. The power plant will serve as an emergency heat supply and has been shut down until needed. Beijing will now rely more on cleaner electricity sources such as gas and wind farms.
Earlier this week, Beijing once again issued a yellow air pollution alert, advising the elderly and children to stay indoors. Photos of landmarks before and after PM2.5 hit the city on Wednesday and Thursday immediately surfaced online. The witty added the outlines of buildings that are not visible behind the smog. Take care of your health!
Why is winter the most polluted season in China? Winter is the time when a blanket of thick smog covers China's major cities. If you have lived in China or followed the news, then you have probably seen all these “apocalyptic” photos. In addition to the gray sky, polluted air is also harmful to health. The PM2.5 particles found in the air on foggy days are small enough to penetrate deep into the blood through the lungs and cause serious health problems. Estimated pollution environment is responsible for one in five deaths and 250,000 premature deaths in China. Pollution in China is considered the worst in the world, as temperatures drop, smog levels rise. This issue has been recognized by the Chinese government as
Smog in Beijing Scientists have solved the mystery of smog in Beijing. Researchers from Germany, the United States and China, in a joint study of air pollution, have registered extremely high concentration sulfate on the campus of Qinghua University. What is sulfate is a salt of sulfuric acid, which is formed in the atmosphere after a volcanic eruption. The concentration of sulfate on the roof of one of the buildings of buildings exceeded 300 micrograms per cubic meter, which is comparable to the consequences of the volcanic eruption with the unpronounceable name of Eyjafjallajokull, in Iceland. If you remember, the 2010 eruption delayed hundreds of flights over Europe, releasing 400 micrograms of sulfate into the air over Scandinavia. This may explain why some residents of the capital suffer from diarrhea on smog days in Beijing, especially since
The ongoing air pollution situation that has spread across northern China has been shown to negatively impact the thriving online shopping industry, with 50 million parcels being delayed in transit by smog that has paralyzed the transport system. One-sixth of China, mostly in the northern parts, has been covered in smog since December 16, with visibility plummeting to less than 1,000 meters in many cities, forcing local authorities to impose temporary road restrictions. As a result of measures taken in an attempt to control smog in the eight northern provinces and municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin, according to Cainiao.com, a consulting company founded by Alibaba, China's largest shopping platform, as well as several logistics companies, shipping between 40 and 50 million
BEIJING, Dec 21 - RIA Novosti, Ivan Bulatov. In the Chinese capital on December 16 for the first time in 2016 was declared the highest "red" alert level due to air pollution. Since then, the metropolis has been gradually sinking into smog, which reached its peak by Tuesday.
However, Beijing residents are looking forward to midnight from Wednesday to Thursday local time (19.00 Moscow time Wednesday), when the "red" level will be canceled. According to Chinese weather forecasters, a slight cooling and windy weather should come to replace the weather, which will "ventilate" the city of many millions.
When the "red" level of pollution is declared, mandatory measures are automatically introduced, among which is the reduction in the movement of vehicles, which is considered the main source of air pollution. Classes in schools and kindergartens are suspended. Roads should be cleaned of dust at least once a day. The mandatory measures also include the freezing of all construction work and the closure of factories.
A four-level air pollution system was introduced in China in 2013. According to established rules, the municipal authorities announce a red alert level when severe smog lasts more than three days in a row, orange for three days, yellow for two days and blue for one day.
The clouds are gathering
Beijing residents began to feel the first signs of an approaching smog from Friday evening. On Saturday morning, a characteristic smell began to be felt in the air. What is the smell of smog compared to? Its smell is similar to the smell of smoke from peat bogs, and not like smoke from a regular fire. With increased smog, a “haze” appears in the air, which, in the absence of a characteristic smell, may seem like fog to people who have never encountered such air pollution.
From Saturday to Wednesday, Beijing at times, due to the smog in the air, could be compared to foggy London. However, the main difference is that the air humidity in the Chinese capital is much lower, and this "fog" is also visible in the morning and afternoon, even in sunny, cloudless weather. In addition, smog poses a risk to human health.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended safe level of PM2.5 fine particles in the air is 25 micrograms per cubic meter. On Tuesday and Wednesday, this figure is kept at around 400-450, and on weekends and Monday it exceeded 200. Particles smaller than 2.5 microns can penetrate and settle deep in the lungs of a person, causing an asthma attack and serious health problems.
The most difficult night for the capital's international airport "Shoudou" was from Monday to Tuesday, when more than 250 flights were canceled, more than 270 were delayed. From 22:00 on December 19 to 08:00 on December 21, about 80% of all flights were canceled at the airport. Many planes bound for Beijing returned or landed at nearby airports. According to local media, since the afternoon of Tuesday the situation began to improve.
China calls for better coordination to cut emissions after 2016"s worst smog chokes Beijing… pic.twitter.com/GCPk28jdsl
— Shailendra Nair (@shailendra_nair) December 21, 2016
Severe smog also led to a deterioration in the situation on the roads of the city. The Beijing Highway Traffic Authority said on Tuesday that many expressways and sections of ring roads in Beijing were closed due to smog.
Despite the restriction on travel by private cars depending on the registration number, this did not significantly affect the number of vehicles on the roads and traffic jams. The difference was that in the evening, when due to darkness and smog, visibility on the roads dropped dramatically, drivers tried to drive more slowly. The deterioration in visibility also led to the formation of traffic jams at road junctions or at the exits and arrivals of ring roads.
© AP Photo / Andy Wong
© AP Photo / Andy Wong
The city continues to live
However, even the "red" level of alarm did not seriously affect the lives of citizens. Although classes were canceled in schools and kindergartens, the rest of Beijingers were forced to go to work and on business as usual. The owners of numerous scooters, mopeds and other two-wheeled vehicles were also not deterred. In Beijing, special lanes are provided for two-wheelers, with the exception of motorcycles with an internal combustion engine. People in large numbers continued to travel on them all the days from Friday on business, only the number of people in protective masks on their faces increased.
There were slightly more people in the metro, this is due, first of all, to the fact that car owners who could not use their cars due to the imposed travel restrictions were forced to transfer to public transport. The situation is similar with buses. Distinctive feature there was a slightly increased number of people wearing masks. At the same time, many Beijing residents wear masks even on days when there is practically no smog.
In addition to the large number of four-wheeled and two-wheeled vehicles on the road, in Beijing, with the introduction of the "red" alert level, the usual trading on the street continues. Vendors offer a variety of goods: fried flatbread, vegetables, waffles and even fruits. In the morning, a lot of people gather near such mobile outlets who buy breakfast or just a snack on their way to work.
One of the street vendors in the Chaoyang District in east Beijing, when asked if he was afraid to sell food in such conditions, replied: "I was born in Beijing, I'm not afraid of smog, it may be harmful. And people continue to buy."
Another sign that life in Beijing continues as normal is the number of smokers, who have not decreased since last Friday. People smoke on the street on their way to the store, to work, while walking. Some, as usual, even smoke in office buildings, where “No Smoking!” reminders are posted everywhere. In the building where the office of MIA Rossiya Segodnya is located, offender smokers these days could be found on the stairs and even in the toilets.
Chinese media during the "red" alert published photos of the main attractions of the city, where you can see that the number of visitors has decreased, but not too much.
Where is the protection and how to be?
In Beijing, a hot item throughout the year, not only during heavy smog, is protection against PM2.5 particles, which are part of the smog, are protective masks.
In large retail chains such as Walmart and 7eleven, protective masks are available all year round. For example, at Walmart, during the "red" alert level, the number of protective masks offered to the buyer increased slightly. "Supply and sales did not rise very much," a retail sales assistant said, when asked if sales were up because of the heavy smog. At the same time, if earlier the masks were in the personal hygiene department, then during the smog you can find masks at the checkout.
Prices for masks in Beijing vary quite a lot. The simplest mask can be bought for 5-10 yuan (about 45-90 rubles), masks with a higher degree of protection are offered at a price of more than 20 yuan. Most of the offered masks white color however, other colors are also found. You can also buy more expensive masks online. For example, through Taobao, a popular online platform in China, you can buy masks that cost over 250 yuan. Also, those who like to stand out from the crowd have the opportunity to buy a mask with some kind of pattern, or even with the image of the hero of the popular cartoon SpongeBob. The difference in the price of masks is due to their design, material and level of protection. In more expensive masks, special filters are installed to clean the inhaled air.
To combat smog, Beijing residents can also purchase special air purifiers. The simplest models cost in electronics stores from several hundred yuan. Prices for the most expensive models that use powerful filters can reach several thousand yuan.
During the "red" alert level, Beijing residents are also advised to be as little as possible on the street, do not open windows, drink more water and vitamins.
Beijing authorities are actively fighting smog at the moment. Earlier, Wang Fei, deputy head of the Beijing City Planning Committee, said that the authorities of the Chinese capital are planning to create five special wind passage corridors in the city with a width of about 500 meters in the future to combat smog. They will pass through some parks and green areas in the center of the Chinese capital. In the future, special corridors up to 80 meters wide may appear. Strict control over the scale of construction will be carried out in those sections for the construction of which the corresponding territory is allocated.
In addition, it was reported that the city government plans in 2017 to reduce the average amount of harmful PM2.5 particles to less than 60 micrograms per cubic meter. For comparison, in 2015 the figure was 80.6 micrograms, and in 2012 - 95.7 micrograms. The authorities also planned to tighten the ban on the transportation, sale and consumption of coal in areas in the east and west of the city. Also 400 settlements located near Beijing will be converted to gas consumption. Also, since the beginning of 2016, the city authorities have reduced the number of cars with high levels of emissions into the atmosphere on the roads of the city by 340,000 units.
In total, the authorities of the Chinese capital intend to spend approximately $2.5 billion this year to combat environmental pollution.
Smog in Beijing appears all year round. However, the problem with smog is especially acute with the onset of the heating season, which operates in Beijing from mid-November to March.
Residents of Beijing are waiting for the cancellation of the "red" alert level to breathe a little easier, but it is not known how long the strongest smog can again envelop the Chinese capital.
Hello dear blog readers site
Yesterday, when I left the house for work, I was simply amazed, the whole street was shrouded in gray fog, not a single light was visible. In the evening, I went towards Tiananmen Square on business. When I passed by the square, it was almost impossible to see anything. It looks like the entire city is on fire. The culprit is the terrible smog that becomes a regular feature in Beijing every winter. The Chinese capital is turning into Silent Hill….
What is PM2.5?
As far as I know, there is a safety standard set by the WHO for keeping harmful substances in the air (PM2.5 - fine suspended particles in the air). So, in Beijing, this norm is exceeded by 40 (!) Times. These particles are very harmful to human body and can cause serious illness, especially of the lungs. It comes to the point that the elderly and children are advised not to leave the house if possible. It is said that the damage caused by such smog to human health can be compared to that which a heavy smoker receives by smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. Some people note that in Beijing there is a constant cough with black sputum, there is even the concept of "Beijing cough".
The PM2.5 level is an important indicator for determining the threat of smog. There are 3 warning levels in China: yellow, orange and red. The last one is the most serious.
Causes of smog in Beijing
More than 20 million people live in Beijing, this huge number exceeds the population of many countries. Naturally, there are a very large number of cars on the streets, all kinds of eateries that cook on an open fire. The most main cause of smog- coal stations and oil giants of China, which produce low-quality fuel.
Beijingers are very concerned about the state of air quality. Under pressure from the public, the authorities were forced to take some measures: more than a hundred enterprises were closed, production standards are being tightened, coal-fired boilers are being converted to gas boilers, cooking on the street is prohibited (although this is far from being always done), restrictions on the use of pyrotechnics have been introduced, a promise has been made to deal with the problem of smog in 5-10 years. 
Why aren't you wearing a mask today?
How does the morning begin for many people living in Beijing? From checking the level of PM2.5 in the air. Many phones and computers have special applications for this purpose. At work, people talk about this topic all the time. People around on the streets wear protective masks, and this has long become commonplace. The question “Why are you not wearing a mask today” has been popular for a couple of years now.
It comes to the point that one enterprising businessman began to release air in cans, the starting price was about 5 yuan, and now they offer goods on Taobao even for 50 yuan!
The reaction of foreigners 
Due to poor environmental conditions, we have decided to leave Beijing for the foreseeable future. As the statistics show, not only we. In Beijing, the quality of life suffers greatly. A huge overcrowded city, constant hustle and bustle, poor quality products, ubiquitous noise and, of course,. I seriously believe that employees should be paid extra for harmfulness. And this compensation should be high.
Starting in 2013, foreign specialists began to leave Beijing, primarily those who have children. Wealthy Chinese are also not far behind, either leaving for greener cities in China or emigrating to other countries.
Chinese leaders are very worried because they are leaving the country not only simple people but also high-level specialists.
The authorities promise that the problem will be solved, maybe in a few years. However, a few years in Silent Hill can have serious health consequences later on. Therefore, many prefer to run wherever their eyes look.
July 21st, 2018, 09:03 am
These three antennas in one of the residential complexes of the Chinese capital just hint at how dense the local smog can sometimes be: otherwise, such a "fundamental" equipment cannot catch a communication signal lost in a shroud! We smile. This is, of course, a technically unjustified joke, and the picture does not show smoke, but vignetting. But the smog as such, I must warn you, in Beijing is not at all a joke. I repeatedly talked before and during the trip with compatriots who, seeing the haze in the air, treated it quite calmly: gas pollution as gas pollution. No masks, no idea of how this white veil differs from its Moscow "colleague". And besides, so many Chinese in the crowd are calm. What to panic?
For those who do not want to sleep peacefully and still want to learn more about Beijing smog, I recommend the specialized monitoring resource AQICN. There are also current pollution indicators in Chinese (and not only) cities, and a FAQ section with useful publications, and a separate section on masks. The main language of the texts is English. Now the answer to the question, why panic. I was in the capital of the Celestial Empire for a little over a week. During all this time, only two days after heavy rains were the period when the air pollution index of hazardous fine particles of 2.5 PM was comparable to the average values of major European capitals, incl. with preserved measurement data for Moscow. During these two days, already accustomed to the smog, I very much felt the enormous difference between the degree of purity of the air I inhaled and the air that I had breathed for several days in a row before. At the same time, the visibility horizon from observation points expanded by a dozen or even more kilometers. The other two days were the period when the air pollution index crossed the 250 AQI mark (very unhealthy, followed by city officials, I read, even resorting to business shutdowns). Visibility during this period was similar to visibility in a fog: in places, smog waves limited the viewing horizon to only a hundred or two meters, in places it was possible to see something a kilometer away, but no tens of kilometers were available from viewpoints. On one of those days I went to the Great Wall of China. I didn’t check what the index was in her area, but it was simply impossible to visually see the wall from hill to hill. The main thing that worries me in all this haze is precisely those 2.5 PM particles, the size of which is small enough to overcome the biological barriers of the body's defenses, and due to this cause exceptional harm. It is these particles that the Beijing smog can be "proud of" if you compare the indicators of air pollution by them in China and in other countries. A couple of publications about the dangers of fine pollution ... and you, like me, if not all the time, then certainly some will spend in Beijing wearing a mask.
Masks in Beijing are easy to find. Valid in any pharmacy. They are inexpensive by European standards. For example, I bought myself a package of three masks with N95 protection level (the lower level is not recommended in articles and reviews; you will always see the level itself on the package in large print) and built-in valves to make breathing easier for 33 yuan, i.e. each mask cost an average of 11 yuan (about 110 rubles). You can buy cheaper, if you don’t find fault with the design, or even save on valves (I don’t recommend tourists who are actively exploring new cities, because valves really seriously simplify life), paying much less money for such a product. And do not buy gauze "fig leaves" if suddenly the atmospheric thickens over your head. All health!
P.S. About the mentioned Moscow smog. And about Russian in general.
I will disappoint, but there are still few resources with regular uploads of monitoring data in the public domain...
P.P.S. The great Chinese firewall did not block the AQICN resource that I visited via wi-fi throughout my trip.
due to dangerous levels of air pollution, Beijing
Canal on edge of Beijing clogged with debris China says air quality in two-thirds of its cities now falls short of new standards
A thermal power plant emits heavy smog in the city of Changchun, northeast China's Jilin province.
The environment in China has been hit all-round by urban and industrial development. Air, water and soil pollution is already reaching critical levels. “This is happening on a scale and at a speed the world has never seen before,” says Jennifer Turner, director of the China Environment Forum at the Woodrow Wilson Center. H
"Airpocalypse"
Air pollution in Beijing in January 2013 reached such horrendous levels that a new word "airpocalypse" was coined for it. The word has since been used to refer to the alarming air pollution in Beijing and other Chinese cities.
In January 2013, the level of 2.5 micron particulate matter in Beijing exceeded 500, and in 2014 it reached that high again.
Residents of the city are suffering from a suffocating smog that causes visibility to become so low that work in schools and institutions comes to a halt.
Dirty air in Beijing will be blown away by fans to neighbors
Beijing is considered one of the most polluted cities in terms of air quality. Chinese authorities are taking various measures to clean the air. But if people put on a gas mask when they go out into the street, it seems that the measures taken are not effective enough. This time, the Chinese government has proposed a new, extraordinary way to solve the problem - to disperse the Beijing smog with the help of huge fans.
It is planned to build 5 main ventilated corridors, the width of which will be more than 500 meters. As well as several additional corridors, more than 80 meters wide.
According to the city authorities, powerful air currents will blow away smog from Beijing. But where...? Naturally, to the regions adjacent to the capital. Agitated residents of such areas are already writing outraged comments on their blogs. According to some bloggers, the authorities consider the inhabitants of the capital to be people, the population of neighboring areas is obviously classified as a lower category.
Problem air pollution in China becomes relevant not only to the population of China. Poisonous smog began to envelop the regions neighboring China. According to the Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency, Chinese smog has begun to pollute Taiwanese cities.
Air pollution in China appeared reverse side economic afterburner, when for the sake of growth in indicators and profits, eyes were turned a blind eye to the harmful effects on nature. China is today the largest producer of steel and cement in the world. In the process of production, millions and millions of tons of harmful substances are emitted into the atmosphere that harm the environment and human health.
The new project of the authorities with anti-smog fans involuntarily gives rise to an association with the famous work of Cervantes. But the poisoned air is not the spear of Don Quixote, defeated by a windmill. On the timing of the project for air purification by power fans Beijing not yet reported.
Either official statistics don't exist, or Chinese government officials don't want to share them. However, businesses, schools, embassies, recruiting consultants, without exception, all confirm the same thing: while China is becoming an increasingly important base for international firms, Beijing is rapidly losing its appeal to their foreign employees.
Harrow International School staff Hannah Sanders and her husband Ben have lived in Beijing for five years. In July they decided to return to the United Kingdom and packed their bags.
“At first we planned to stay here for six years. However, air pollution outweighed,” says the 34-year-old mother of two children, one of whom is a newborn baby. “I believe that it is not safe for our two-year-old child to play outdoors. .
The US Chamber of Commerce released the results of its annual China Business Climate survey in March. Among others, the survey asked the following question: "Did your organization have difficulty recruiting and retaining senior executives to work in China due to air quality?" Responses received from 365 member companies of the Chamber revealed a clear trend: 48% of respondents answered "Yes" in 2014, compared to 34% in 2013 and 19% in 2008.
While published data is scarce, companies across a variety of sectors and businesses report that managers at all levels are trying to escape air pollution. They ask for a transfer to another job. In July last year, an increasing number of expat families took a hand in Beijing. It follows from the comments on the forums that the exodus began in June.
As a result, recruiters say it is becoming increasingly difficult for foreign businesses to attract the most talented workers to the Middle Kingdom, as many simply refuse to go to Beijing, calling main reason its failure to degrade air quality in the city.
"Beijing loses a couple of spots every year in the ranking of cities where professionals would like to move to work," says Angie Egan, managing director of MRCI, a recruiting firm that specializes in hiring professionals in Asia.
Since 2012, Beijing has lost three points in this ranking. Of the more than 5,000 respondents, 56% cited health problems as a reason for them to think about changing jobs. This is the data of a study conducted recently by a consulting company. However, a study by HSBC bank still names China as the number one country for expats who are attracted there by high salaries.
Parents are concerned about the long-term health consequences for their children as a result of exposure to air containing hazardous levels of harmful contaminants. The sharp increase in the degree of pollution, noted in early spring, is unlikely to add peace to them. The indicator of the content of harmful suspended particles that can penetrate into the lungs and linger there has increased from the level of PM 2.5 to more than 500
units for a few days in March. It exceeded the values recommended by the World Health Organization by more than 20 times. This is eerily reminiscent of the "eco-apocalypse" of last year, when a cloud of brownish-gray dust dominated northern China for several weeks.
Last year, WHO released the results of a study that tracked the causes of loss of life worldwide. Air pollution in China was found to be responsible for 1.2 million premature deaths in 2010. This amounted to 40% of the total worldwide. Following the publication of the report, several professors from Chinese universities disputed the study's methodology and said the numbers could be even higher.
The Chinese government, however, is not particularly active. In response to a wave of indignation on Internet forums and in in social networks The new Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, Li Keqiang, has repeatedly vowed to "declare war on air pollution", and in all largest cities China has launched an environmental monitoring system. But despite the fact that thousands of enterprises have been forced to close and millions of dollars have been invested in renovating a decrepit industry, the skies over the country's main cities are still covered with a gray haze, and most of the set targets for reducing harmful emissions into the atmosphere have not been achieved.
Nevertheless, Beijing remains the political and economic center of the world's second largest economy, and many foreign companies have invested millions of dollars in developing their operations in China and in Asia as a whole.Some of these companies have taken drastic measures. For example, many of them offer higher compensation or flexible packages, such as weekly paid airfares, which allow their managers to see families living elsewhere in Asia on a regular basis.
Many install the most advanced air filtration systems in their offices and offer to pay for the installation of filters in their employees' apartments. Employees are issued mandatory protective masks, and information campaigns are conducted about the dangers of polluted air.
"Companies are doing everything they can. However, the reality is that people continue to leave ... It is becoming increasingly difficult to attract people here," Adam Dunnett states with concern.
Despite the efforts of the authorities of the Chinese capital to limit air pollution, the average concentration of suspended particles PM2.5 in the air of the city in 2015 was 80.6 µg/m 3, which is 1.3 times higher than the norm. PM2.5 particles are mainly formed as a result of coal combustion and exhaust emissions.
On the street, citizens are forced to wear special masks, without which it is simply impossible to breathe normally. Beijing is known as one of the dirtiest cities in the world - the smog over it is visible even from space.
