Robert Besser
15 Mar 2023, 16:24 GMT+10
BEIJING, China: Beijing was enveloped in a dust storm and heavy pollution over the weekend, with the IQAir website showing an air quality index of 1,093, a "hazardous" level, many times higher than what are considered "unhealthy" levels.
Concentrations of the tiny PM2.5 particles that can reach deep into the lungs and bloodstream entered a dangerous range on air quality monitoring sites.
Although Beijing was formerly notorious for its terrible air quality, conditions had improved as authorities took heavily polluting vehicles off the roads and have moved coal-fired power plants and heavy industry to the surrounding provinces.
Air quality also improved markedly after 2020, when much of China's industry was shuttered under lockdowns and quarantines mandated by China's strict "zero-COVID" policy.
In the face of a sluggish economy, China has been promoting coal-fired power, setting back efforts to cut climate-changing carbon emissions from the biggest global source.
China is one of the biggest investors in wind and solar power, but jittery leaders called for more coal-fired power after economic growth plunged in 2021 and shortages caused blackouts and factory shutdowns. Russia's attack on Ukraine added to the anxiety that foreign oil and coal supplies might be disrupted.
China is the top producer and consumer of coal and one of the largest source in the world of air pollution and climate changing gasses.
Get a daily dose of Japan Herald news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Japan Herald.
More InformationSEOUL, South Korea: Thousands of South Korean educators and school staff gathered in Seoul over the weekend to demand increased ...
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand In a heartfelt tribute to the victims of the tragic 2019 Christchurch attacks, the Australian Federal Police ...
JAKARTA, INDONESIA: Government data released this week showed that as imports, such as raw materials and capital goods, declined more ...
SYDNEY, Australia: Contrary to earlier concerns, exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) continued from Chevron's two Western Australian plants last ...
TAIPEI, Taiwan: This week, Terry Gou, founder of major Apple supplier Foxconn, announced that his running mate in Taiwan's presidential ...
BEIJING, China: U.S. aerospace and defense firms Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin have been sanctioned by China for selling weapons ...
SHANGHAI, China: A survey published this week by the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Shanghai showed that political tensions ...
DAYTON, Ohio: Under an agreement announced this week, Joby Aviation will produce state-of-the-art electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft ...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks and bonds caught on to a global trend Thursday as sellers took charge ...
CHICAGO, Illinois: The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and the Chicago Federation of Musicians announced over the weekend that they agreed ...
ANKARA, Turkey: During a meeting, Michael Evans, President of the Alibaba Group, told Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan that the Chinese ...
NEW YORK: This week, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that U.S. electric vehicle (EV) maker Tesla and Saudi Arabia ...