Air pollution in China worsened this year, for the first time in decades, a study said on Friday (Dec 22). The study conducted by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) said that 80 per cent of provincial capitals, including Beijing, saw an increase in Particulate Matter (PM2.

Air pollution in China worsened this year, for the first time in decades, a study said on Friday (Dec 22). The study conducted by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) said that 80 per cent of provincial capitals, including Beijing, saw an increase in Particulate Matter (PM2.5) this year. "In 2023, 13 out of China’s 31 provincial capitals have not met the national standard for PM2.5, and 11 provincial capitals have not met the standard for ozone. They are concentrated in the northern key air pollution control regions and central China," the study said. "Nearly half of the capital cities that have not met the PM2.5 standard have improved air quality compared to the previous year, while all cities that are in compliance with the standard have seen increases. This shows efforts are also needed from places where air quality doesn’t exceed the national standards," it added. Year-on-year increase in air pollutants CREA said on Friday that frequent smog episodes that occurred in February and March this year raised China's PM2.5 concentration to the highest point of the year by this March, "that is 46µg/m3, and raised Beijing’s PM2.5 concentration up to 47.8µg/m3, an increase of 30.6% from the same period last year." By the end of November, the 12-month moving average of PM2.5 in Beijing reached 32.6µg/m3, which is a 7.7% increase from last year. What are the reasons for the worsening pollution? As per the study, unfavourable weather conditions promoted PM2.5 pollution in certain places in China. "The overall increase in human-caused emissions has pushed the pollution level higher," the study said. CREA also pointed out that for long, air pollution has been co-related with heavy industrial structures in China. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, PM2.5 particles, on being inhaled, can have serious health risks, linked to premature deaths in people with heart or lung disease, as well as a host of breathing and other health issues. The rebound of air pollution has raised the alarm for the central government. "From the regional perspective, 62% of the provincial capitals in the north will not meet the national standard for PM2.5 this year, with the other 23% falling under the category of the risk of not meeting the standard," the study further said, adding capitals of four neighbouring provinces or municipalities in central China, Sichuan, Chongqing, Hunan and Hubei, will not be able to meet the national standard for PM2.5 as well. (With inputs from agencies)

China’s air pollution worsened in 2023, the first time in 10 years: Study

China's air quality saw "incomparable" improvements in the first quarter of this year as a coronavirus outbreak led to rapid declines in industrial activity and transportation, an environment ministry official said on Friday.

The number of "blue sky days" rose by 6.6 percentage points in the first quarter of 2020, said Liu Bingjiang, head of the air pollution office at the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

"That was a level we didn't even dare imagine," he said, noting the target for the whole 2016-2020 period was 3.3 percentage points.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/india-a-part-of-18-point-plan-of-us-to-uncover-chinas-lies-298782">Also read:&nbsp;India a part of 18-point plan of US to uncover China's lies</a>

China has for several months been grappling with a coronavirus outbreak, which has spread around the world and infected more than 4 million people, forcing governments to impose strict lockdowns, severely hurting economic activity.

With millions staying home, concentrations of small lung-damaging floating particles fell by nearly 15% in more than 300 Chinese cities in the first three months of the year, according to official ministry data.

Emissions in the city of Shanghai fell by nearly 20% in the first quarter while Beijing`s average emissions levels stood still in the first three months of the year, the data showed.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mike-pompeo-accuses-china-of-stealing-american-research-on-covid-19-298763">Also read:&nbsp;Mike Pompeo accuses China of stealing American research on COVID-19</a>

In Wuhan, where the pandemic originated, monthly averages of particulate matter emissions dropped more than a third.

Normally the country`s smoggiest province, Hebei also saw PM2.5 concentrations, a measure of air pollution, fall 15.7% in the first four months of 2020.

The province, however, attributed the drop to its crackdowns on pollution rather than the coronavirus.

New normal 
China has gradually loosened the lockdown since late March in several cities and Liu said the resumption of normal economic activity had not led to a noticeable decline in air quality so far.

He also attributed the improvements in China`s air quality to its strenuous anti-pollution efforts over the last few years.

China declared "war" on pollution in 2014 after a spate of politically damaging outbreaks of smog in Beijing and other regions and has been strict to punish those breaking the rules.

The country normally sets targets over the October-March winter heating period, forcing cities to make improvements in air quality compared to the previous year.

But Liu said the steep declines in emissions brought about by the virus would make it too difficult for cities to make further year-on-year cuts next winter, so China would not make the targets a "decisive element" of compliance over the period.

He said China would continue to eliminate small-scale coal use this year and further promote the replacement of coal by gas or electricity in households throughout northern regions, noting that the policies and financial support were now in place.

China is currently working on a new anti-smog plan that would further target ground-level ozone pollution, a rising health risk caused mainly by vehicle exhaust fumes and sunlight.

It will also extend the "blue sky" campaign to other regions, including Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong and Henan, he said.

China's air quality saw "incomparable" improvements in the first quarter of this year as a coronavirus outbreak led to rapid declines in industrial activity and transportation, an environment ministry official said on Friday.

China's air quality saw "incomparable" improvements in the first quarter of this year as a coronavirus outbreak led to rapid declines in industrial activity and transportation, an environment ministry official said on Friday. The number of "blue sky days" rose by 6.6 percentage points in the first quarter of 2020, said Liu Bingjiang, head of the air pollution office at the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. "That was a level we didn't even dare imagine," he said, noting the target for the whole 2016-2020 period was 3.3 percentage points. Also read: India a part of 18-point plan of US to uncover China's lies China has for several months been grappling with a coronavirus outbreak, which has spread around the world and infected more than 4 million people, forcing governments to impose strict lockdowns, severely hurting economic activity. With millions staying home, concentrations of small lung-damaging floating particles fell by nearly 15% in more than 300 Chinese cities in the first three months of the year, according to official ministry data. Emissions in the city of Shanghai fell by nearly 20% in the first quarter while Beijing`s average emissions levels stood still in the first three months of the year, the data showed. Also read: Mike Pompeo accuses China of stealing American research on COVID-19 In Wuhan, where the pandemic originated, monthly averages of particulate matter emissions dropped more than a third. Normally the country`s smoggiest province, Hebei also saw PM2.5 concentrations, a measure of air pollution, fall 15.7% in the first four months of 2020. The province, however, attributed the drop to its crackdowns on pollution rather than the coronavirus. New normal China has gradually loosened the lockdown since late March in several cities and Liu said the resumption of normal economic activity had not led to a noticeable decline in air quality so far. He also attributed the improvements in China`s air quality to its strenuous anti-pollution efforts over the last few years. China declared "war" on pollution in 2014 after a spate of politically damaging outbreaks of smog in Beijing and other regions and has been strict to punish those breaking the rules. The country normally sets targets over the October-March winter heating period, forcing cities to make improvements in air quality compared to the previous year. But Liu said the steep declines in emissions brought about by the virus would make it too difficult for cities to make further year-on-year cuts next winter, so China would not make the targets a "decisive element" of compliance over the period. He said China would continue to eliminate small-scale coal use this year and further promote the replacement of coal by gas or electricity in households throughout northern regions, noting that the policies and financial support were now in place. China is currently working on a new anti-smog plan that would further target ground-level ozone pollution, a rising health risk caused mainly by vehicle exhaust fumes and sunlight. It will also extend the "blue sky" campaign to other regions, including Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong and Henan, he said.

Chinese official hails incomparable improvement in air quality as virus hits industry

Dense fog in northern and eastern China reduced visibility to less than 50 meters and disrupted traffic in some areas on Sunday.&nbsp;

On Sunday morning, Beijing Meteorological Observatory issued a yellow alert against fog, which led to the shut down of several expressways in southern Beijing including the Beijing-Kaifeng, Daqing-Guangzhou, Beijing-Tianjin, and Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao lines.&nbsp;

Poor diffusion of air was considered as one of the main reasons behind the pollution. The weather department predicted that the situation of heavy fog will continue till Tuesday.&nbsp;

The average concentration of PM2.5, a deadly pollutant, in downtown Beijing reached 163 micrograms per cubic meter, which falls under the category of high pollution.

In Heibei province, a visibility of less than 50 meters was observed in some areas, which led to the closure of expressways and affected flights to and from the region. A red alert against fog was also issued by the local meteorological department.&nbsp;

The entire Longkou City of Shandong Province in east China has been engulfed in heavy fog since Saturday night as the visibility dropped to less than 200 meters. It is expected that the fog in Longkou will last through the whole Sunday.&nbsp;

The menace of pollution has over the years greatly affected the residents of Beijing despite the city expected to move out of the world's 200 most polluted cities. In winters, when the condition of air pollution worsens, most of the people in Beijing are seen wearing masks.&nbsp;

However, according to new research, several lives were saved in China because of the implementation of policies to control air pollution.&nbsp;

(with inputs from Reuters) 
&nbsp;

Dense fog in northern and eastern China reduced visibility to less than 50 meters and disrupted traffic in some areas on Sunday. On Sunday morning, Beijing Meteorological Observatory issued a yellow alert against fog, which led to the shut down of several expressways in southern Beijing including the Beijing-Kaifeng, Daqing-Guangzhou, Beijing-Tianjin, and Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao lines.

Dense fog in northern and eastern China reduced visibility to less than 50 meters and disrupted traffic in some areas on Sunday. On Sunday morning, Beijing Meteorological Observatory issued a yellow alert against fog, which led to the shut down of several expressways in southern Beijing including the Beijing-Kaifeng, Daqing-Guangzhou, Beijing-Tianjin, and Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao lines. Poor diffusion of air was considered as one of the main reasons behind the pollution. The weather department predicted that the situation of heavy fog will continue till Tuesday. The average concentration of PM2.5, a deadly pollutant, in downtown Beijing reached 163 micrograms per cubic meter, which falls under the category of high pollution. In Heibei province, a visibility of less than 50 meters was observed in some areas, which led to the closure of expressways and affected flights to and from the region. A red alert against fog was also issued by the local meteorological department. The entire Longkou City of Shandong Province in east China has been engulfed in heavy fog since Saturday night as the visibility dropped to less than 200 meters. It is expected that the fog in Longkou will last through the whole Sunday. The menace of pollution has over the years greatly affected the residents of Beijing despite the city expected to move out of the world's 200 most polluted cities. In winters, when the condition of air pollution worsens, most of the people in Beijing are seen wearing masks. However, according to new research, several lives were saved in China because of the implementation of policies to control air pollution. (with inputs from Reuters)

China struggles with low visibility, traffic disruption amid heavy fog