China smog emergency shuts city of 11 million people

[Bosonic]

Source: Reuters

Choking smog all but shut down one of northeastern China's largest cities on Monday, forcing schools to suspended classes, snarling traffic and closing the airport, in the country's first major air pollution crisis of the winter.

An index measuring PM2.5, or particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5), reached a reading of 1,000 in some parts of Harbin, the gritty capital of northeastern Heilongjiang province and home to some 11 million people.

A level above 300 is considered hazardous, while the World Health Organisation recommends a daily level of no more than 20.

The smog not only forced all primary and middle schools to suspend classes, but shut the airport and some public bus routes, the official Xinhua news agency reported, blaming the emergency on the first day of the heating being turned on in the city for winter. Visibility was reportedly reduced to 10 meters.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/21/us-china-smog-idUSBRE99K02Z20131021

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[davidpdx]

1. I've lived there and seen it

It is terrible. Fortunately I wasn't in one of the big cities, it was a medium size city. Still we'd have days where you couldn't see the sky.

[liberal N proud]

12. The first time I was in Beijing, you couldn't see the airport terminal until you were at the gate

I got to the hotel and you could almost see the outline of the buildings across the street. Two days later it rained and cleared the air to where you could see buildings.

[davidpdx]

17. Sounds about right

I can only imagine the rising number of cancer cases in China.

[Left Coast2020]

2. Holy Shit!!!

That is friggin discusting.

And by the way, its 24 million people--not 11.

But it was not this bad when I worked there. But there was a morning that was bad enough and they grounded flights at the airport for about 2 hours. I remember I was able to see the runway somewhat, but this shot says China is in big trouble environmentally.

On edit...sorry. I thought that was from Beijing. Harbin was near was I initially worked in Shenyang. Very cold there in winter.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

6. "China is in big trouble environmentally."

The whole earth is as long as places like this exist.

[warrant46]

15. That's what happens when they make all that cheap crap for Walmart

[Spitfire of ATJ]

16. That's what you get when America gives a country Most Favored Nation status after seeing this....

Really shows they care about humanity.

[Nanjing to Seoul]

3. That looks about right for Haerbin. Beijing is just as bad

Where I lived in Shijiazhuang is considered one of the most polluted cities on Earth.

[JDPriestly]

4. Overpopulation. They have tried to control births, but the problems are insurmountable.

And in a difficult climate. What will they do?

[NickB79]

5. This will not end well for them

For example: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/17/us-cancer-pollution-idUSBRE99G0BB20131017

(Reuters) - The air we breathe is laced with cancer-causing substances and is being officially classified as carcinogenic to humans, the World Health Organization's cancer agency said on Thursday.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) cited data indicating that in 2010, 223,000 deaths from lung cancer worldwide resulted from air pollution, and said there was also convincing evidence it increases the risk of bladder cancer.

[Diclotican]

7. Bosonic

Bosonic

One of the prices PRC do pay for the hazardous economic development the last two decades... They do se to not care to much about the environment - as long as the chinese have a better today - than past.. But I do believe they have to do as more development nations have doing - either shut down this industry - or make it more friendly to the environment..

If we look us blind for the devolement the PRC have made the last 20-30 years - we should also look on the bakside of that devolment, mostly stated in the smog who absolutely is a troubleseome fact in everyday life in many city's in the PRC this days - specially in winter can some of this City's really got a nasty smog - who is treating the life of millions.. Maybe it's time for the government of PRC, and the autorities - to do something with it now? They can do it, if there is will to do it...

Diclotican

[LuvNewcastle]

8. Reminds me of stories told about England during the Industrial Revolution.

A lot of people still believe London is foggy because of all the books from the 1800's that mention it. London doesn't naturally have fog, I've been told. The pollution was just so bad back then that it seemed like the city had a lot of fog.

I think China isn't fixing their environmental problems right now because they see this as their industrial revolution. They probably figure that they can wait and take care of it when China catches up with the U.S., Europe, and other developed areas.

Even if they started working on their problems tomorrow, though, it would take a long time to recover from all of this. Unfortunately, they aren't only hurting themselves with their lack of environmental standards. Americans really can't say too much about it, however. Even with all of our laws, we're still one of the world's biggest polluters, and the amount of pollution we generate is way out of proportion to our population.

[dixiegrrrrl]

13. I lived in a town with smog like that.

Back in the late 50's/early 60's.

It had pulp and paper mills on 3 sides, and was in a valley.You could barely see the front of your car.
Usually it would clear by afternoon, but sometimes on still days, you woke to smog and went to bed with smog outside.
The mills had been worked by 3 generations of families, but environmental concerns demanded better air quality.
Rather than comply, the mills shut down and/or moved to other areas.
No more smog. Fewer jobs, but the air was cleaner.

[annabanana]

9. The die-off of human life due to environmental degradation will

be massive in China. We think we have an oligarch problem HERE... Their system is pretty much pure unregulated capitalism now.

[LuvNewcastle]

10. Yet they're still called a communist country. The capitalists in this country

want us to be just like them. They won't be happy until we're jumping off the rooftops of the factories we'll have to work in for 16 hours a day.

[damyank913]

11. This is what unfettered capitalism looks like.

China has figured out a way to make it even worse. I can remember as a kid growing up in NYC walking to school in the 60's and having grit on my skin from the air pollution. The clean air act actually worked. What kind of world would the Tea Party give us?

[tonekat]

14. Can we Deploy Huge Fans

To keep it over there so it doesn't drift here?

[davidpdx]

18. Reports of major accidents, highway closures, and the main airport is closed

[patricia92243]

19. Republican friend's reply to this: Well that isn't many people out of their billions population.

He is a rapid anti-environmentalist.