Beijing is one of the most famous cities in the world but unfortunately also infamous for its unhealthy pollution levels. The city has been trying to clear its act up especially since the Olympics, which was an important time for China's image as a host country.
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| October, 2013, Chaoyang district in the afternoon, Beijing |
A short back-story: In preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics and to fulfill
promises to clean up the city's air, according to the Wikipedia, nearly 17
billion USD was spent. Beijing implemented a number of air improvement schemes
for the duration of the Games, including halting work at all construction
sites, closing many factories in Beijing permanently, temporarily shutting
industry in neighboring regions, closing some gas stations, and cutting motor
traffic by half, reducing bus and subway fares, opening new subway lines, and
banning high-emission vehicles.
But more recently in January 2013, measurements showed levels
of air pollution, as measured by the density of particulate matter smaller than
2.5 micrometres in size – higher than the maximum 755mcg the US Embassy's equipment
can measure (40 times above what the World Health Organization deems
safe). You can see the Air pollution measurements on the Chinese website as well.
What’s more?
It is of no secret that the government regularly uses cloud-seeding- a method to increase the likelihood of rain showers in the region to clear the air prior to large events by altering the microphysical processes within the cloud (read: every Sunday).
People that
come here from all over the world experience difficulty in breathing, skin
conditions, hair-fall issues, teary eyes, and so on. Living in Beijing comes with getting used to air purifiers, mouth
masks, and waking up to smoggy and hence, very gloomy mornings. The intensity of this situation is so serious that even wealthy locals are planning to move to other countries like the United States and Europe, after acquiring the respective country’s citizenship.
Meanwhile, there are several ways to keep yourself informed of the
Beijing Air quality; not only through websites but even twitter, mobile apps,
even calling the local authority. All we can hope for is that
Beijing sets more rigid rules in the future that limit factories and vehicles from
contributing to the hazardous pollution level not only in Beijing but
throughout China, for the betterment of the locals along with the rest of
us.
