China enters the "season" of pollution

Asia is the most polluted continent, and uncontrolled industrialization is to blame for this situation. A high level of pollution is expected to persist in Beijing and the surrounding regions until mid-November, as announced by state media companies in China. Tens of millions of residents in the Chinese capital and its neighboring areas have faced one of the most severe episodes of smog in recent months this week. On Wednesday, the concentrations of dangerous fine particulate matter PM2.5 (with diameters less than 2.5 microns) in Beijing were over 20 times higher than the recommendations set by the World Health Organization (WHO), according to IQAir, a company specializing in air quality monitoring. Currently, the Chinese capital ranks third in the list of the world's most polluted cities, as reported by this Swiss company. In response to the smog in Beijing, local authorities have taken measures to restrict the traffic of high-pollution-emitting vehicles and encouraged residents to stay indoors.

"Severe and high" levels of pollution are expected to affect the Beijing, Tianjin, and Hebei regions until mid-November, according to Chinese officials, as cited by the state newspaper Beijing Daily. Over 100 million people reside in this region. The forecasts for the mentioned region are based on a joint analysis conducted by the Chinese National Environmental Monitoring Center and local meteorological authorities throughout the country. "The main pollutants in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region are PM2.5 and PM10 particles," the report specifies. These pollutants have been linked to premature deaths in individuals with heart or lung diseases, as well as a variety of respiratory issues and other health problems, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

In Beijing, Chinese authorities have issued a second-level pollution intensity warning. In certain parts of Hebei, visibility was reduced to less than 50 meters. Local authorities attributed this pollution level to "unfavorable weather conditions." Beijing declared a "war on pollution" in 2015 after winning the bid to host the Winter Olympics. Since then, Beijing has closed dozens of coal-fired power plants and relocated heavy industries. However, despite some improvements in recent years, air quality remains well below WHO standards. China is the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases, contributing to climate change, such as carbon dioxide. The recent increase in permits for coal-fired power plants has raised concerns that China may backtrack on its goals to peak emissions between 2026 and 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.