Air pollution in Beijing
Posted by Paul on June 22nd, 2009
I think I’ve mentioned here before how filthy the air was in Beijing when I visited there a few years ago. I came across a link to a fantastic web site that demonstrates quite clearly (haha) the extent of the problem.
See this page, by Michael Zhao of the Asia Society, for a day-by-day diary of just how scummy the air can get in Beijing.
What’s amazing is how you can definitely see the difference between days when the air is clean but there’s just some clouds, and the days when it’s supposedly “clear” but it looks like it’s so foggy you would have to slow down when you drive.
Beijing sits in a big bowl, so the air throughout the rest of China isn’t always this bad (though in some cities it’s worse!) If you’ve ever thought about visiting, one consideration might be whether or not you have asthma and can take the disgusting air.
July 5th, 2009 at Sunday, July 5, 2009 @ 10:18 AM
Air quality improved dramatically during the Olympics, when the world’s cameras focused on China.
I discovered this quite by accident, as I was pricing building steel. Observing a dramatic rise in steel prices, I discovered that China either temporairly shut down or reduced operations at most of its steel plants just before the Olympics, to clear the air (and no doubt hide these horrific conditions).
China is truly raping our planet.