Beijing air quality plummets amid dust storm and pollution
Published on Mar 11, 2023 06:20 PM IST
In Beijing, concentrations of tiny PM2.5 particles that can reach deep into the lungs and bloodstream entered a dangerous range on air quality monitoring sites, with the IQAir website showing an air quality index of 1,093, a “hazardous” level, many times higher than what are considered “unhealthy” levels. Skyscrapers disappeared into the haze and air quality plummeted as China’s capital was enveloped in a dust storm and heavy pollution on Friday, reported AP.
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Published on Mar 11, 2023 06:20 PM IST
A view of the Forbidden City, as the city is shrouded in smog amid a sandstorm, in Beijing, China. Beijing was formerly notorious for its terrible air quality, but conditions had much improved in recent years as authorities took heavily polluting vehicles off the roads and moved coal-fired power plants and heavy industry to the surrounding provinces, reported AP. (Tingshu Wang / Reuters)
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Published on Mar 11, 2023 06:20 PM IST
A view of the central business district shot through a glass window during a dust storm in Beijing. Skyscrapers disappeared into the haze and air quality plummeted as China's capital was enveloped in a dust storm and heavy pollution on Friday, reported AP.(Borg Wong / AP)
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Published on Mar 11, 2023 06:20 PM IST
People wearing face masks walk along a street during a day with poor air quality in Beijing. Concentrations of tiny PM2.5 particles that can reach deep into the lungs and bloodstream entered a dangerous range on air quality monitoring sites, reported AP. (Mark Schiefelbein / AP)
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Published on Mar 11, 2023 06:20 PM IST
A woman poses for pictures near the Forbidden City, as the city is shrouded in smog amid a sandstorm. The capital also used to be known for regular springtime dust and sandstorms caused by winds blowing in from the loess hills along the upper sections of the Yellow River to the west. Anti-desertification efforts have helped reduce both the frequency and intensity of the storms that had often turned the surrounding air a cataclysmic yellowish-red, reported AP. (Tingshu Wang / Reuters)
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Published on Mar 11, 2023 06:20 PM IST
People walk outside the Forbidden City, as the city is shrouded in smog amid a sandstorm. Air quality also improved markedly after 2000 when much of China’s industry was shuttered under lockdowns and quarantines mandated by China’s strict “zero-COVID” policy, reported AP.(Tingshu Wang / Reuters)
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Published on Mar 11, 2023 06:20 PM IST
Cars and pedestrians navigate along a street shrouded in dust and haze in Beijing. China has been promoting coal-fired power, setting back efforts to cut climate-changing carbon emissions from the biggest global source. The country is also a top producer and consumer of coal and the biggest source of air pollution and climate-changing gasses, reported AP.(Mark Schiefelbein / AP)
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Published on Mar 11, 2023 06:20 PM IST