There has been a public outcry in China over the last few days with regard poor environmental standards and dangerous levels of air pollution. Over the last two days, a thick blanket of choking smog has enveloped the city of Beijing and large swathes of northern China, with visibility reduced to <100 metres in some areas.
At the peak of the event, PM2.5 (fine particulate matter, less than 2.5 microns in diameter) readings reached 993 micrograms per cubic metre; 40 times the World Health Organisation (WHO) safe limit. This incredibly high reading was reflected in an increase in the number of people admitted to hospitals with respiratory problems in the area during the smog.
The intensity of the smog is attributed to low winds, the mixing of fog with pollutants and the fact that the smog was somewhat trapped by the mountains north and west of Beijing.
In a form of protest, dozens of building sites and a car factory in the capital halted work as an anti-pollution measure.
The darkness of the last few days has cast some light on an on-going issue with regard the lack of environmental policy in a country experiencing dramatic economic development. It is time for a revaluation of the importance of the local and global environments within society and the development of suitable regulations to support it.
-Jean
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