
On Scale of 0 to 500, Beijing’s Air Quality Tops ‘Crazy Bad’ at 755  - mactitan
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/13/science/earth/beijing-air-pollution-off-the-charts.html?_r=1&
======
dmor
I was in Beijing for Chinese New Year for a couple weeks in 2009, and when I
flew in, I couldn't see the enormous city at all from the sky. It was
completely hidden in a cloud of smog. There was some of the worst air quality
of the year at that time from all the fireworks plus being the coldest time of
year (so everyone is burning coal fires), and a ton of debris in the air from
a 44 floor skyscraper that burned to the ground down the street (video:
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hSPFL2Zlpg>)

I never really knew what coal burning smelled like before. Even in the city it
isn't allowed, but once we left and went to a smaller town outside Beijing
that's when I really got it. It is the heat source for 99% of the population,
plus it powers most of the factories. There were days where we were told we
shouldn't be outside unless absolutely necessary (which was, since my husband
had to commute to his job at Microsoft). At night if you blew your nose your
tissue would be grey. If you took a shower, the water would run grey from dust
wherever your skin had been exposed. Your clothes would be dusted in a thin
layer of gray that never really went away. We tried to combat this by changing
out of our clothes just inside the front door and putting them straight into
the wash, but it never really went away.

~~~
ableal
I saw the pictures taken in Pittsburgh in the 1950s, where they had to have
street lights on at noon in winter. I also saw the soot-incrusted facade of
the Pittsburgh Carnegie Library before it was sandblasted clean in the late
1980s.

(By then, the steel mills, and the respective steel-worker housing, were a
heartbreaking ghost town for miles along the Monongahela river.)

There are also the stories of the London "fogs" (really bad smogs) in the late
1800s. Coal is better than no power, but it has nasty consequences. Getting
past it is tough, and it takes time and investment.

~~~
dredmorbius
London fogs continued into the 1950s, notably the "Great Smog" of 1952, which
was ultimately thought to have killed some 12,000, and sickened 100,000 more.
Visibility was a poor as 1 meter, or worse.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Smog>

------
fnordfnordfnord
I lived there in '08 and '09. You cannot believe it until you have seen it.
The difference during the Olympics was stark. For example, my apartment in
Shijingshan had a view of a mountain (~5 mi) and a comm tower (~1 mi). I lived
in that apartment for a month before I ever saw either of them. The 'Jing
rarely gets full sunlight, rather there is this kind of yellowish lambertian
light source in the white-ish gray sky. People who espouse environmental
deregulation should go check it out.

~~~
fatbird
I heard that the change during the Olympics was remarkable. How come the
actions they took to clean up didn't stick? You would think that when everyone
saw the difference, there'd be a lot of support for fixing the underlying
problems.

~~~
fnordfnordfnord
It required them to shut down a lot of industrial production. A temporary
pause in production was a reasonable sacrifice for the Olympics. After the
games were over, they worked overtime to catch up. Beijingers have lived with
it their whole lives, it is normal for them.

------
jacquesm
This has two parts, one part is the externalization of pollution by the rich
countries to developing countries, the second is the speed with which China is
increasing its energy consumption due to an increase in local consumption.

Their fuel of choice (coal) doesn't help and in many ways what is happening
there is comparable to what the industrial revolution did to England not all
that long ago.

In 1952 (long after the start of the industrial revolution but before the end
of major emissions in the UK) this culminated in the 'great smog':

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Smog>

Which in turn led to the clean air act.

~~~
MichaelSalib
I don't think the industrial revolution comparison is correct. Pretty much all
coal pollutants can be easily dealt with using air pollution control
technology (except CO2, but that won't make anyone sick in the short term).
The problem is that Chinese energy producers aren't interested in using that
technology. Chinese officials know exactly how much of a difference
electrostatic precipitators or fabric filters could make for their air quality
and they know exactly how much it would cost; they just don't want to spend
the money.

My father designs those systems and travelled to China in the late 80s to
early 90s; China bought a little but had no interest in outfitting all of its
coal-fired plants.

~~~
jacquesm
> I don't think the industrial revolution comparison is correct.

And then you go on to prove the point...

The industrial revolution was all about generating profits, the Chinese are
doing just that, without much regard for the consequences. They won't be able
to do that much longer by the looks of it. Extrapolating from the effects of
the 1952 incident to Chinese scales is scary.

~~~
MichaelSalib
During the industrial revolution, people did not fully understand the health
effects of air pollution. Nor did they have the technology needed to eliminate
it without also eliminating the industrial revolution. Neither of those facts
are true today.

~~~
jacquesm
I think that the fact that your father designs such systems means you're a bit
more informed than the general public, in particular more informed than the
general Chinese public.

As far as I can see this is just history repeating itself, until the problems
are acute nobody will give a damn about the longer term consequences.

~~~
MichaelSalib
You're definitely right about that.

On the other hand, I don't think I'm any better informed than Chinese policy
makers or technologists in the energy sector. I mean, the technology we're
talking about really isn't rocket science: a precipitator is just a pair of
plates charged to high voltage with dirty air forced through.

Moreover, Chinese elites certainly travel to the US and Europe and Hong Kong
(indeed, many attend colleges abroad) and they get the differences in air
quality very well. I would be very shocked if said elites never went back home
and inquired as to the difference and what it would take to eliminate it.

My guess is that they could substantially reduce power plant emissions for an
increased electrical cost of at most a few percent. On the other hand, I think
China uses coal with a much higher sulphur content than is typically used in
the US and they have substantial non-power-plant coal burning....

~~~
wiradikusuma
Just assume those Chinese elites you mentioned don't care other people's
health (since it's costing them money). But how about _their_ (or their
family's) health since they also share the same air?

~~~
chii
They move _their_ own family out of china as much as possible. I assume that
those elites (like the elites in other countries) would also not care about
the wellbeing of others, especially if it costs them money and gains them no
profit. It's just the way the world is.

~~~
corporalagumbo
They're not spending their own money, they're (ostensibly) allocating state
funds like any other bureaucrats.

------
solox3
> what phrase is appropriate to describe Saturday’s jaw-dropping reading of
> 755 at 8 p.m., when all of Beijing looked like an airport smokers’ lounge?

I was there. The truth is, it doesn't just _look_ like an smokers' lounge.

~~~
dmoy
Yea, when you step off the plane and get that first taste (yes, taste) and
smell of Beijing air, ick.

I dodged this one by a single day, ha. Literally the day after I left it went
from a week of sun (unheard of) to <30m visibility. Can't really be too happy,
because I'm still sick with a sinus infection right now.

------
tellarin
I live here, and I have to say this, the air even _tastes_ awful!

It's weirdly interesting to look outside and to see the streets almost empty
and the darkened sky at noon.

It was worse from Friday to Saturday, but is still pretty bad. People were
warned to stay inside and some schools won't function tomorrow.

According to the weather forecast it will only get better around Wednesday;
when it will get a bit windy.

~~~
TechNewb
I was there last week, and still can't believe how bad it is. How can China
allow this level of pollution? It is not the cars, but the coal that is doing
it to the city. I hope China can find a way to create energy and produce goods
without such bad pollution. Beijing, and China, would be a much better place
to live it only had clean air to breath on a regular basis. Here is to clean
energy!

~~~
tellarin
It's not just Beijing. According to the polution ratings I follow, right now
(it varies a lot during the day, it's 2AM here now) Beijing is ranked 16th
among the ~50 cities that the government rates. The rating right now is also
the same as the one posted by the US embassy here.

From what I understand, much of the pollution comes also from other industrial
cities and accumulates in this general area of the country (someone that knows
more about it please correct me if this is wrong).

The government seems to be taking some actions, but it is hard to know how
hard they're tackling the problem.

~~~
trevelyan
Also in Beijing. Just in case readers don't know, the Chinese ratings are
produced as a daily average, based on equipment outside the city center (i.e.
near the airport), while the US ratings are produced hourly from right
downtown.

So sometimes the figures are the same, but that usually only happens when
coming down from the peak of a particularly bad day, when the average from the
previous day's readings are pulling up the official Chinese numbers while the
US figures have already fallen to reflect current conditions.

------
bbuffone
As i arrived in beijing today, i looked out the window and saw the sky
completely gray. Having spend two years in Beijing, this site is not uncommon.
I remember in the summer of 2010 some days the air was so thick you could not
see a half mile.

But today, the air is really bad and even in my apartment now, i can smell it.
The best i can describe the smell is that of a campfire.

EDIT -> A campfire that someone threw a plastic bottle into.

------
newbie12
This is good news, in a way. China's pollution is being carried around the
world every day-- now that local weather conditions are forcing Beijing to
bear the full brunt of their poison, hopefully the Chinese government will
take action.

~~~
solox3
They had taken action. They knew how to. They're just not doing it.

In just a year before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, they reduced Beijing's
pollution levels to "enough to see the blue sky", in time for international
visitors to arrive.

They have a billion citizens. Their livelihoods cost nothing. Nothing except
their face ("public image") will make them improve living standards for the
masses.

~~~
melling
They had 1 billion people 30 years ago. Now they're at 1.3 billion. That is,
the United States plus 1 billion. It'll be interesting to see what happens in
the next 20-30 years. Even with their problems, it's starting to look like the
century of China.

~~~
newbie12
Actually China is facing a demographic decline-- from growing wealth and the
echo of the "one child" policy. If demographics are all that matter, the next
century will belong to India, the Middle East, and Africa.

------
mactitan
The problem is daunting but I would say fracking might be the lesser of evils.
(I'm curious about these huge emmisions & the these past 2 U.S.winters warm
spell)

China planning 'huge fracking industry' Chinese plans to expand fracking for
shale gas prompt fears over local water and international climate impacts

[http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/nov/27/china-
plan...](http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/nov/27/china-planning-
huge-fracking-industry)

------
firemanx
I found Beijing to have poor air, but not nearly as bad as other places in
China. Travel out west to Xi'an, and for much of the year it seems as though
you can't even see the sky. I heard it told that living there is equivalent to
smoking two packs of cigarettes per day. I don't know if that's true, but
anecdotally, spending a few weeks there and I was coughing up some of the
nastiest stuff I've ever seen from breathing bad air.

------
weissguy
Keep in mind that a couple weeks from now, the Western outcry about this news
will die down, but their air will still suck! When I was in Beijing, I felt so
terrible for the infants I saw on the streets. My lungs felt worse than ever
for the 3 days I was there, but they will likely breathe that air for their
entire lives! When are Chinese people going to realize that they can't live in
a giant cloud of smog?

------
mistagrrr
From an email three days ago from a friend who's a teacher in Beijing:

Pollution levels were at super high, stay inside or die today. I can now
predict the pollution levels by "how bad the air tastes". Copper is one. If
zombies were to come walking down the street here, I would not bat an eye. I
live in an apocalyptic /hyper capitalistic waste land.

------
btipling
> Wang Shu’ai, told American diplomats to halt the Twitter feed, saying that
> the data “is not only confusing but also insulting,”

Insulted by just reporting the data. Maybe shamed is the better word.

------
psykotic
Apropos: [http://www.theonion.com/video/china-celebrates-its-status-
as...](http://www.theonion.com/video/china-celebrates-its-status-as-worlds-
number-one-a,14220/)

------
sakopov
A good friend of mine was there last year. He said he was constantly bleeding
out of his nose during the entire stay because of the foreign particles in the
air. Insane.

------
nekojima
Same road in Beijing, Jan 9 vs 12, showing difference in visible air quality.

<http://twitpic.com/buocrx>

------
est
visual proof of how bad Beijing air is

<http://ww1.sinaimg.cn/mw690/4aa0c35bjw1e0quzqeexrj.jpg>

credit to the author on the watermark.

------
batgaijin
Why isn't china switching to natural gas faster?

They have 886 trillion cubic feet and the USA only has 750 trillion of it.

[http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/138597/aviezer-
tucker...](http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/138597/aviezer-tucker/the-
new-power-map)

~~~
MichaelSalib
NG would require a substantial capital investment; running pipelines
everywhere is not cheap. It might still be cost effective if the environmental
costs of coal burning could be internalized so that coal-burners paid a price,
but China seems very far from a Clean Air Act, let alone a cap and trade
regime.

------
protomyth
Every country that needs more energy will turn to the same proven sources of
energy the 1st world used, until a cheaper energy generation solution is
available that has the same reliability as coal and oil. This is going to
happen in Africa as their energy needs pick up. Solar and wind are not
currently the replacements (otherwise China would use them instead).

------
gbog
To all those commenting on Beijing pollution: have you ever been in other
Chinese cities? I have been in Shijiazhuang, Chengdu, it can be much much
worse. I would like to see air quality index from these places...

But anyway Saturday was nasty in Beijing, it I have no idea if it is
psychosoma or real, but I still have the smell in my nose, and headaches.

~~~
OGinparadise
From what I have read, USA was _kinda_ similar, especially int he pre-EPA
days. I have to wonder if today's cancer rates are in large part from that,
seems like everyone has /has had a relative with cancer.

------
nickyoung
After moving from California to Beijing, I would have never imagined a country
that could allow this much pollution. In my apartment in the city, I can see
the pollution particles collect over the past few days on the balcony. Simply
amazing.

------
davemaya
"Crazy Bad" is not exaggerated...
[http://brainchronicle.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/air-quality-
ana...](http://brainchronicle.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/air-quality-analysis-
from-beijing.html)

------
novaleaf
what's the difference between PM10 and PM2.5? I mean, I know one is 10micron
vs 2.5 micron, but i can't find info contrasting them.

for example, i'd expect a PM10 number to always be higher than PM2.5.... is
that true? I can't find both numbers reported together to verify. :(

~~~
corporalagumbo
Smaller particles are much more damaging to your health.

------
brador
Is it all just from vehicles? Quick fix would be subsidised electric vehicles.

~~~
nekojima
How are those electric vehicles powered, by coal? Coal is the only cheap and
viable short & medium term energy resource solution for China, and a
substantial problem (though only not the only source) for causing the
pollution currently around Beijing.

~~~
sliverstorm
No, free energy machines, silly! :)

------
whalesalad
Why is there no chmod joke in here? I wish I had the understanding of unix
permissions to come up with one myself =(

~~~
stbtrax
because this is not reddit or slashdot?

