Topic

Beijing air pollutioni

The Chinese capital has for many years suffered from serious air pollution. Primary sources of pollutants include exhaust emission from Beijing's more than five million motor vehicles, coal burning in neighbouring regions, dust storms from the north and local construction dust. A particularly severe smog engulfed the city for weeks in early 2013, elevating public awareness to unprecedented levels and prompting the government to roll out emergency measures. 

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Blue skies over the capital and the meeting of national air quality standards for the first time have been celebrated, but the struggle to fight pollution while maintaining steady economic growth is far from over.

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The images of Beijing shrouded in a choking yellow cloud are a reminder that despite the best efforts to stop the spread of deserts, goals cannot be attained overnight.

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  • Gas leak named as cause of explosion at fried chicken restaurant in Yanjiao, Hebei province
  • Fire department sends 36 vehicles and 154 personnel to the scene; nearby residents evacuated
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Paper follows statement by Zuo Wei that ‘stem cell and progenitor cell-based regenerative medicine may be the biggest, if not the only, hope to cure COPD’.

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President Xi Jinping demanded urgent action last week after sandstorms cloaked China’s northern regions in March and April, with a Chinese delegation set to visit Mongolia from later this month to jointly work on solutions.

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Xiongan New Area plan viewed with suspicion because it is not near any regional commercial hub and workers do not want to move from China’s capital, says analyst.

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It is the eighth sandstorm to hit the Chinese capital so far this year, marking the most active spring storm season in a decade.

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Conducted by scientists in Australia and China, the study found that more than 90 per cent of days in southern and eastern Asia had concentrations of dangerous particulate matter exceeding the WHO’s safety limit.

Chinese and international researchers examined wildfires in North America and Southeast Asia for clues to the relationship between blazes and the weather.

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UN health agency says 99 per cent of planet’s population breathes air exceeding air-quality limits, often rife with particles that penetrate lungs, enter veins and arteries and cause disease.

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Efforts to reduce smog have been extended to 64 cities this winter, plus Beijing, which hosts next year’s Winter Olympics. Analysts warn factory shutdowns could weigh on the economy.

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Cloud-seeding operation was launched over suburban Beijing and surrounds hours before the tightly choreographed event. Artificial rain reduced PM2.5 pollutants by more than two-thirds and improved air quality, Tsinghua University researchers say.

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Deciphering China’s relationship with coal is key to understanding the nation’s path towards carbon neutrality, particularly as the economy’s addiction to the fossil fuel runs up against President Xi Jinping’s carbon neutrality pledge.

Levels of lung-damaging particles in and around the capital reach new low, although are still above the national target and WHO’s recommendation.

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As southwest China reels from floods and landslides, report shows how climate damage and risk in country’s most dense regions have changed over 60 years.

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But it may be harder for other places, with one expert saying the city was at an advantage to take action since being the capital made it easier to get policies and funding.

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