Beijing air pollution in real time. A city in which it is impossible to hide from smog

Beijing has the reputation of having some of the world’S worst air quality thanks to its headline-making“ beyond index ”and“ red alert ”pollution events. However, the data tell a more complex and optimistic story.

In the last decade, authorities have brought in policies to mitigate the city’s unhealthy air quality. As a result, the average annual PM2.5 concentration in 2018 was half that of 2009, (101.8µg / m³ in 2009 versus 50.9µg / m³ in 2018), while the number of healthy air quality hours annually nearly quadrupled (5.5 percent of hours in 2009, to 21 percent of hours in 2018). However, while Beijing's air quality is improving by the year, more needs to be done for the city to attain annual PM2.5 levels that meet the World Health Organization's guideline of 10µg / m³.

Beijing annual distribution of hourly PM2.5 concentrations, shown as US Air Quality Index categories

Where does Beijing "s air pollution come from?

The largest sources of locally-generated PM2.5 in the capital are vehicles emissions, followed by road and construction dust. Beijing has 5.64 million private cars, and has cut the number of license plates issued each year down to 100,000, as of the end of 2017. In 2017, Beijing shut down the last of its four coal-fired power plants in its transition to natural gas. However, Beijing suffers from its valley topography; much of its pollution comes from outside the city and builds up until strong winds carry it away.

As the capital of the world’s most populous country, Beijing’s air quality has drawn global attention and is seen as a reflection of the national environmental condition. For many years, public air quality records lacked transparency. In 2008, the US Embassy began tweeting real-time measurements recorded by the a PM2.5 Beta Attenuation Monitor. The readings revealed a stark reality, previously unknown to the world and underestimated by residents. While Twitter is blocked in China, the data spread via Chinese sites and third-party apps, raising public awareness. Inadvertently, this placed mounting pressure on Chinese officials to both acknowledge the severity of the problem and begin taking measures to tackle it.

How can Beijing "s air pollution be reduced?

In September 2013, the Chinese State Council issued an Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Air Pollution, which included implementing a comprehensive, nationwide air pollution monitoring system. Today, Beijing city has a monitoring network of 34 government stations, which report real-time measurements, in line with US Embassy data.

While efforts have proven successful in meeting or exceeding goals set by the Chinese government, Beijing still averages air quality more than four times the WHO recommendation. Among global cities with air quality monitoring stations, Beijing ranked 122nd for the, and 72nd among Chinese cities, in 2018

Is Beijing air quality improving?

In the last 15 years, China has been steadily improving their air quality. China reduced PM2.5 by 47% between 2005 and 2015. Beijing recorded their lowest month in air pollution in August 2019, with a low of 23 micrograms per cubic meter. The main reasons for the lower air pollution in China are the shift from coal to natural gas, the high amount of electric vehicles in China, and the effort from the Chinese government to halt deforestation in the country.

How is Beijing polluted?

Beijing air pollution is mainly caused by the burning of coal to produce electricity and vehicle emissions. Other factors that influence the air quality in Beijing include the manufacturing industry, the population growth, and several natural reasons such as the seasonal weather and the city's topography.

Should I wear a mask in Beijing?

Wearing a face mask when air pollution is high is one of the best choices you can make. Research has proven that wearing a decent mask can reduce your exposure to the air pollution in Beijing by over 90%... When the aqi in China is high, wearing a pollution mask protects your heart and lungs against harmful air pollution. Surgical masks are not as effective in blocking off the air pollution, but they are better than not wearing any mask at all.

How many people die from air pollution in Beijing?

Putting a number on the amount of people that die from the air pollution in Beijing is hard. But multiple studies have shown that, on average, people die 5.5 years sooner than they otherwise might because of the quality of the air in Beijing. In China as a whole, there is an estimate of 1.1 million people dying every year from air pollution ...

How does air pollution affect people in Beijing

When the air quality in Beijing is at its worst, people are urged by the government to avoid outdoor activities. Most common health issues are a sore throat and cough. Over the past decade, lung cancer rates have risen over 60%. Other consequences of the air pollution in Beijing include yellow skies, higher mortality rates, and canceled flights due to low visibility levels.

What is the current air quality in Beijing?

The air quality in Beijing goes through periods of high pollution. To get the most accurate information on the current air quality in Beijing, it's important to use real-time data. Our statistics come from the IQAIR testing stations that use real-time data to calculate the current air quality in Beijing.

Everything is very bad in China! This morning, my Chinese news feed was again filled with messages about how the President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping, calls on humanity to come to its senses and finally take up the environment.

Speaking at the UN World Climate Change Conference in the French capital, he said that by 2030, China intends to fulfill its plans to halt growth and reduce the intensity of carbon dioxide emissions!

Wow, emissions will be down by 2030! - the inhabitants of Beijing were delighted and looked out the window, where the December sun was shining on them.

Yesterday, Beijing saw a record level of smog this year. The air pollution index has exceeded 500, the maximum for most of the accepted measuring instruments. At the time of writing this post, it remains at the "Biyond Index" level (ie, above the permissible measurement limits).

The concentration of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) in the air reached 945 micrograms / cubic meter yesterday. m of air. This is despite the fact that the World Health Organization considers the maximum allowable content of such particles at 25.

945 against 25!

Greenpeace publishes photos of Beijing one day apart (the day before yesterday and yesterday):

The entire second part of my feed was filled with photographs of Beijing, people simply do not see their 16-storey building, standing in front of its entrance, for example:

The authorities sounded the alarm and ordered 2,100 enterprises in the city, including construction and manufacturing, to immediately stop working. At the same time, there were some impudent people who continued to produce, for example, cement!

But nothing, death squads have already been sent to them, consisting of 2 officials of the security department environment, who will write out insignificant fines to the impudent, after which the factories can safely continue their work.

The main causes of smog are:
- industry - 32%
- transport - 20%
- electricity generation and heating - 48%, that is, the consequences of using coal.

Meanwhile, the Internet is already full of jokes on the topic.

Sights of Beijing (from left to right, top to bottom):
1. Forbidden Palace
2. Tiananmen Square
3. Temple of Heaven
4. Gulou Tower
5. Yonghegong Lamaist Temple
6. Beihai Park
7. Wangfujing Shopping Street
8. Yiheyuan Park (Summer Palace)
9. Sanlitun Amusement Street

Or: Beijing has come up with a way to fight global warming! You just need to shield yourself from the sun with a thick layer of smoke!

To visually demonstrate the horrors of pollution, the actionist artist "Brother Nut" walked around Beijing with an industrial vacuum cleaner for 100 days and from what he collected turned out to be a real brick!

The topic of smog in Beijing, of course, is terribly enraging. But no one can help but talk about her. Instead of "hello" they say "P ** dec, well, I could!"

By the way, where does the smog come from and what to do with it, I already wrote.

Those who have been to Beijing at least once know perfectly well: you will not see the sun in the Chinese capital. Typically, the city is shrouded in smog 24/7, and the sun disc can appear due to haze at best once a week. In January 2013, a record smog was recorded in the capital - then the air cleanliness index (AQI) showed the maximum degree of pollution, exceeding 500 points. Apparently, the events of two years ago could happen again.

The Beijing authorities on Friday, December 18, announced their highest, red warning level for deteriorating air quality in the next three days. “According to the forecasts of the meteorological services, from December 19, the level of air pollution in Beijing will reach strong.

To protect public health and reduce pollution in Beijing, a decree has been issued declaring a red warning level, ”the statement said.

The special regime will begin to operate from 7.00 (2.00 Moscow time) on December 19 and will last until 0.00 (7.00 Moscow time) on December 22. The red warning level is entered a second time after the color scale has been accepted. For the first time, the red alert was announced on December 8 and was canceled on December 10. Municipalities announce red alert levels when smog lasts more than three days in a row, orange for three days, yellow for two days, and blue for one day.

The last time the city was enveloped in a dense cloud of smog, Beijing authorities imposed an orange rather than red threat level, which drew criticism from many Internet users. This time, the mayor of the capital Wang Anshun decided not to waste time on trifles and declared the maximum threat in the city.

According to the Beijing Environmental Monitoring Center, the concentration of hazardous particulate matter in the air over the capital of China is about 500 mcg / m3. m.

This level of pollution is 20 times higher than the recommended level.

According to ecologists' calculations, by December 22, under the influence of a cold cyclone, air quality will gradually improve.

In a statement, the Beijing Meteorological Service proposed canceling classes in schools and kindergartens. Also, restrictions on the movement of transport are introduced - it is his municipal authorities who consider the main poisoner of the air. Trucks will be completely banned from appearing on the roads, and cars with registration numbers ending in an even digit will be able to leave only on an even day, and vice versa, on an odd day, on an odd one. At least once a day, roads must be cleaned of dust, and construction work in the city must be frozen.

However, transport is far from the only source of hazardous emissions. The main reasons for the dire environmental situation in Beijing are numerous coal-fired power plants, emissions from factories and construction enterprises located near the city.

During major international events when the Chinese authorities want to show a nice picture of Beijing, these factories shut down and voila - blue sky over the capital is secured.

So, for example, it was on the eve of the parade in honor of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. This has already happened before: during the summit in November 2014, at the direction of the government, dozens of factories within a radius of 200 km from Beijing stopped working.

The Chinese themselves are no strangers to such environmental situations - every resident of large cities has respiratory masks. However, the ecological disaster every year more and more affects the population of the Middle Kingdom: according to a study by the German Max Planck Institute, about 1.4 million people die in China every year due to diseases caused by air pollution.

To illustrate the environmental threat looming over China, a performance artist working under the name Brother Nut vacuumed smog in Beijing with his project Dust and made a brick out of it.

The young man was vacuuming the air of the city for 100 days with a powerful industrial apparatus. Then he mixed the collected dust with clay and presented it to the general public as an indicator of environmental disaster in China.

“This dust is a side effect of human development, it is smog and dust from construction sites. When I first came to Beijing, I wore a face shield for a few days, but then I stopped. There is no salvation from such a smog, ”the artist said.

China, which is one of the world's leaders in carbon emissions, has announced its intention to renovate its coal-fired power plants in the next five years. However, the country will not be able to completely abandon them - they bring up to 60% of electricity. At the same time, the effect of the renewal of power plants will not appear soon - the peak of the emission intensity will be in 2030, and only then, as expected, will decline.

Environmental pollution is fraught with not only environmental but also political problems for China. Under pressure from the public, the authorities are forced to behave more and more transparently in matters related to air pollution, but many facts are still hushed up and not communicated to ordinary citizens. As the cities get worse ecological situation The Chinese people, who are extremely sensitive to environmental issues, increasingly begin to feel cheated, which ultimately undermines the legitimacy of the ruling Chinese Communist Party.

The daily average concentration of fine particulate matter PM 2.5, which is the main source of smog, exceeded 350 μg / m3 in some areas on Saturday, the Beijing Environmental Monitoring Center reported. This is 14 times higher than the norm set by the World Health Organization (WHO) at 25 μg / m3.

As of 12:00 local time (14:00 Vladivostok), the level of pollution in the Chaoyang area in the east of the city (business center) reached 356 μg / m3, in the Fengtai area in the south - 308 μg / m3, in Mentougou in the west - 251 μg / m3, in the northern regions of the capital - from 150 to 250 μg / m3.

Air pollution levels are considered “life-threatening”.

The center said that people with diseases of the heart and lungs may have significantly aggravated symptoms, while healthy people may experience weakness and malaise. Children, the elderly, as well as citizens with diseases of the lungs and cardiovascular system are advised not to leave the premises. Residents of the city should refrain from physical activity in the open air.

Note that Chinese President Xi Jinping said the fight against air pollution and security is one of China's "three main battles" along with the elimination of poverty and the prevention of financial risks.

In 2013, an emergency response plan for severe air pollution was adopted. It regulates the actions of city services and businesses in accordance with four levels of environmental alert (blue, yellow, orange and red).

In 2019, according to municipal services, average level the content of particles PM 2.5 in was 42 μg / cc.

This week, the city authorities decided to tighten emission standards in the fight against city smog. From now on, vehicles will have to be checked regularly. Violators of the regulations will be fined up to 5 thousand yuan ($ 725) and even deprived of a driver's license.

In recent years, the capital has also encouraged the transfer of vehicles and mechanisms to new types of energy. So, most of the buses of the municipal transport fleet already have electric motors, and there are many that run on gas. Beijing residents who purchase electric vehicles are provided with significant benefits, including in registration of license plates.