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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  • Sandstorm particles were detected for the first time in the northern and western parts of Japan since 2021
  • AirKorea warned that all regions of the country would have ‘very unhealthy’ air because of the dust

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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A campaign in China to stamp out cultural practices seen as outdated and feudal is being met with resistance as centuries-old ideas come under pressure from authorities.

Nuclear power’s future will depend on whether the recent on-time construction of the Hualong One reactor can be sustained in future projects, and whether it can establish a good safety record, energy experts said.

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