The Chinese capital is shut down while air pollution spirals out of control into levels where exposure is hazardous.
On December 8th, the majority of the Chinese capital Beijing had been shut down. Schools had closed and vehicle traffic had been limited by the number of cars allowed on the road. The reason is not from terrorism or riots, but smog. Air pollution in Beijing has always been a large issue. The capital issues warnings based on a four-color alert system, which describes the air quality based on the levels of smog. This marks the first time that Beijing’s has issued a red alert for their smog levels, too hazardous for long term exposure.
This is nothing new for the city of nearly 22 million. The picture above shows the city photographed in the same location on different days of the same month back in 2005. The left picture shows the city after a few consecutive days of rain, while the picture on the right shows a “sunny day” in Beijing.
According to NASA, at least 97% of actively publishing scientists agree that climate change is very real, and have since answered all arguments made by climate change deniers who still continue to fight consistent scientific evidence. China is the top emitter of greenhouse gasses, which is a problem since scientists believe the greenhouse gasses from burning fossil fuels is causing the majority of climate change.
The current system is not sustainable, especially when the same website that is tracking real time air pollution in Beijing is also offering suggestions for masks to protect against the very physical effects the pollution is having on their body. Public health is at risk, as well as risks for the environment— water pollution is killing livestock. In a worst-case scenario, Beijing’s present may be a premonition for the planet’s future if we don’t change course. No one wants to live on a planet where the smog is so thick that one could make a brick out of it