Earlier this week, thick smog blanketed China's capital, turning skyscrapers into dark silhouettes and clear air into a yellowish haze. The Chas Pope channel has put together a visual and rather creepy timelapse showing how the veil covers the city:
A pall of smoke covered Beijing and 24 other cities in China, causing authorities to assign a red code for "dense fog" - the highest level of threat. In recent years, air quality in Beijing has dropped so much that many schools were simply closed, and farmers started a real panic due to the fact that plants no longer received the necessary doses of sunlight. Protective face masks became commonplace for residents of the metropolis, and clear skies could often be seen only on huge banner screens installed throughout the city.
But where did such a mass of dirty air come from? Smog in China is caused by humans: it is contributed both by emissions from industrial production and transport (most often the consequences of this are visible in winter, when a sharp drop in temperature leads to increased demand for electricity), and, for example, by burning coal. The latter is associated with the largest number of deaths from air pollution, which killed 366,000 people in 2013.
Smog is caused by tiny but solid particles in the air. They can reduce visibility and breathing, cause plant-killing acid rain, and discolor paint on buildings. However, the most important issue is what happens when these particles enter the human body. Particles whose size exceeds 10 microns are of the greatest interest to doctors and researchers - even such crumbs can lead to an exacerbation of asthma, damage the lungs and even cause a heart attack. For those who already have pathologies and diseases associated with the cardiovascular or respiratory system, trying to inhale smog can result in tragedy.
Beijing's woes are compounded by its geographic location. Beijing borders the Xishan and Yangshan mountains. Because of this, when pressure rises, there is no movement of air masses within the city, since they cannot overcome mountain ranges. Therefore, the air stagnates, becoming more dirty and hazardous to health day after day.
Now China is trying to solve this problem with all its might. For example, the government has introduced a restriction on driving, but it is clear to everyone that this is only a temporary measure. This week the government announced that it will spend about $30 billion to develop renewable energy projects, that is, solar and wind generators. Be that as it may, it will be a long journey: today China is the world's largest consumer of coal, and it is not possible to quickly reorient such a powerful economic and production machine.
But there is also reason for optimism. An example for Beijing is Los Angeles, where a similar geographic and industrial environment has been overcome by strict regulations and good economic regulation, resulting in smog levels there being reduced to negligible levels in recent decades and residents once again enjoying clear skies. We can only hope that Beijing residents will one day be able to leave their homes without masks and breathe in clean air deeply.
MOSCOW, January 9 - RIA Novosti. The reason for the constant smog in the Chinese capital is not only car engines, but also coal-fired power plants and boiler houses on the outskirts of Beijing, environmentalists say in an article published in the magazine
“In the first stages of air pollution over Beijing, its condition was influenced by winds carrying air at an altitude of approximately 500-1000 meters from the south. When smog formed, the altitude of the zone where air masses mix dropped sharply, resulting in a sharp increase in the concentration of harmful substances In addition, the increase in air humidity led to an explosive increase in the concentration of aerosol droplets in the air,” says Yuesi Wang from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Academy of Sciences in Beijing (China).
Beijing, as scientists say, is considered one of the most polluted cities in China and on Earth in general. There is almost constant smog over the city, which the city authorities tried unsuccessfully to disperse on the eve of the 2008 Summer Olympics. City residents and environmentalists considered the cause of pollution to be a sharp increase in the number of cars: over the past 15 years, their number has increased 7 times and reached 17 million.
As Wang and his colleagues found out, in fact, not only cars were to blame for the birth of smog, but also other products of civilization and processes in the lower layers of the atmosphere, which intensified and accelerated the formation of “fog,” as the Chinese authorities call it.
Beijing in the grip of smog or taking deep breaths is not recommendedOn December 16, the Chinese capital declared a red alert level due to air pollution. From that moment on, the situation only worsened, but Beijing residents are waiting for the night from Wednesday to Thursday, when the oncoming cold snap should “ventilate” the city of many millions.Chinese ecologists came to this conclusion by observing where and how air flows move in the lower layers of the atmosphere, about a kilometer high from the Earth's surface. Here is the so-called “mixing zone” - a layer of the atmosphere where gases rising from the surface “dissolve” in the air due to the existence of turbulent winds there.
This process plays an important role in the ecology of the Earth, as it allows harmful emissions to dissipate and prevents them from accumulating over cities and industrial centers. As it turns out, the processes in this zone and its very position depend on how heavily polluted the air is.
By monitoring the formation of smog in Beijing, Tianqing and several other cities in the North China Plain in October and November 2014, Chinese scientists discovered that a combination of large amounts of steam emissions, exhaust gases and warm air flowing into the Chinese capital from a nearby plateau was driving to a sharp decrease in the altitude of this zone.
At an altitude of about 500 meters above the Earth's surface, winds do not blow as strongly as in higher layers of the atmosphere, as a result of which the speed at which exhaust gases and aerosols dissipate drops sharply, and they quickly begin to accumulate in the air above Beijing, causing smog. .
Thus, the trigger for this process is not the cars in the center of the capital, but the coal-fired power plants and industrial plants in the vicinity of Beijing, which release aerosols into the air masses that move towards Beijing from high areas.
This means that smog in Beijing can only be combated when restrictions on the burning of coal and petroleum products are introduced not only in the Chinese capital itself, but also in those areas through which air masses move, scientists conclude.
In autumn and winter, Beijing experiences terrible smog. And in other cities too.
Already in 104 Chinese cities, pollution levels have reached 300 micrograms per cubic meter, which is 12 times higher than the recommended level.
More than 70 percent of fresh water bodies are unsuitable for animals to drink from. In fact, the country is turning into a huge gas chamber.
That's the difference. On the left - when I could. But on the right it is not there. It's not easy to get a breath of fresh air in China.
In many Chinese cities, walking the streets without a mask is uncomfortable. Many Chinese do not go outside without them. Many people wear a mask as a preventive measure against infectious diseases, but mainly because breathing polluted air is very harmful.
The harm from smoking a pack of cigarettes a day is equivalent to the harm from walking the streets of Beijing without a mask. Smog, like the Great Wall of China, can be seen from space.
The release of toxic substances into the atmosphere in China is so large that it does not have time to dissipate before it crosses the Pacific Ocean and reaches San Francisco. In this city, a quarter of the dirty air is Chinese. San Franciscans, of course, are very unhappy about this.
Smog is caused by tiny but solid particles in the air. They can reduce visibility and breathing, cause plant-killing acid rain, and discolor paint on buildings.
The entry of these particles into the human body can lead to exacerbation of asthma, damage the lungs, and cause a heart attack.
It seems that the city has survived a nuclear winter. It can be almost impossible to see anything. It feels like there is a big fire in the whole city. A constant cough with black sputum appears, there is even the concept of “Beijing cough”.
Clear skies could often only be seen on huge banner screens installed throughout the city.
This video was filmed in January 2017. In accelerated shooting mode, you can see how in 20 minutes the haze almost completely envelops one of the streets of the Chinese capital.
Skyscrapers turn into dark silhouettes, and clean air turns into a yellowish fog. Then airports, kindergartens and schools are closed.
Farmers were in real panic because their plants no longer received the necessary doses of sunlight.
There are several reasons for the occurrence of smog. More than 20 million people live in Beijing, and many more come here. There are a huge number of all kinds of eateries on the streets, cooking over an open fire. A sharp drop in temperature in winter leads to increased demand for electricity.
The exorbitant passion of the capital's residents for cars worsened the situation. There are more than 5 million cars in Beijing. The narrow streets of the capital, unorganized traffic - a cloud of exhaust fumes mixed with industrial soot and dust, a hellish haze hung over the city.
The main cause of smog is coal plants and oil giants in China, which produce low-quality fuel.
Due to the terrible environment, foreign specialists began to leave Beijing, primarily those who have children. Rich Chinese are also not lagging behind, either leaving for cleaner cities in China or emigrating to other countries.
Now the authorities are trying to solve this smog problem with all their might. They promise to close the only coal power plant in Beijing. And soon all coal stations will be closed. By 2030, China will be completely smog-free.
They promise to significantly clean the air by the 2022 Winter Olympics. Here are some surprises for me. Who voted to organize such a big holiday in Beijing in winter? Were they there? Just nightmares. Most likely, production will simply be suspended for some period, as was already the case during the Summer Olympics.
They plan to build special structures consisting of powerful fans that will help fight urban smog. Ventilation corridors 500 meters and 80 meters long are planned to be built along green areas and highways. Such systems will be able to increase the air flow; the smog will be blown outside the city.
Restrictions on driving are being introduced. They plan to spend $30 billion to develop renewable energy projects, that is, solar and wind generators.
In the meantime, you have to breathe in this smog, what can you do.
BEIJING, December 21 - RIA Novosti, Ivan Bulatov. For the first time in 2016, the Chinese capital declared its highest "red" alert level for air pollution on December 16. Since then, the metropolis has gradually been plunged into smog, which reached its peak on Tuesday.
However, Beijing residents are looking forward to midnight from Wednesday to Thursday local time (19.00 Moscow time Wednesday), when the “red” level will be lifted. According to Chinese weather forecasters, the smog should be replaced by a slight cold snap and windy weather, which will “ventilate” the city of millions.
When a “red” level of pollution is declared, mandatory measures are automatically introduced, including a reduction in vehicle traffic, which is considered the main source of air pollution. Classes in schools and kindergartens are suspended. Roads must be cleared of dust at least once a day. Mandatory measures also include freezing all construction work and closing factories.
A four-tier air pollution system was introduced in China in 2013. According to the established rules, municipal authorities declare a red alert when heavy smog continues for more than three days in a row, orange for three days, yellow for two days and blue for one day.
The clouds are gathering
Residents of Beijing began to feel the first signs of approaching smog on Friday evening. On Saturday morning, a characteristic smell began to be felt in the air. What can the smell of smog be compared to? Its smell is similar to the smell of smoke from peat bogs, rather than the smoke from a regular fire. As smog intensifies, a “haze” appears in the air, which, in the absence of a characteristic odor, may seem like fog to people who have never encountered such air pollution.
From Saturday until Wednesday, Beijing was at times comparable to foggy London due to the smog in the air. However, the main difference is that the air humidity in the Chinese capital is much lower, and this “fog” is also visible in the morning and afternoon, even in sunny, cloudless weather. In addition, smog poses a danger to human health.
The safe level of concentration of fine harmful PM2.5 particles in the air recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) is 25 micrograms per cubic meter. On Tuesday and Wednesday, this figure remained at around 400-450, and on the weekend and Monday it exceeded 200. Particles smaller than 2.5 microns can penetrate and settle deep in a person’s lungs, causing suffocation and serious health problems.
The worst night for the capital's capital's international airport "Shoudu" was from Monday to Tuesday, when more than 250 flights were canceled and over 270 more were delayed. From 22:00 on December 19 to 8:00 on December 21, about 80% of all flights were canceled at the airport. Many planes heading to Beijing returned or landed at nearby airports. According to local media, the situation began to improve starting Tuesday afternoon.
China calls for better coordination to cut emissions after 2016"s worst smog chokes Beijing… pic.twitter.com/GCPk28jdsl
— Shailendra Nair (@shailendra_nair) December 21, 2016
Heavy smog also worsened the situation on the city's roads. The Beijing Traffic Regulation Administration said on Tuesday that smog had closed many expressways and sections of ring roads in Beijing.
Despite the restriction on travel in private cars depending on the registration number, this did not significantly affect the number of vehicles on the roads or traffic jams. The difference was that in the evening, when visibility on the roads was greatly reduced due to darkness and smog, drivers tried to drive more slowly. Decreased visibility also led to traffic jams at road junctions or at the exits and entrances of ring roads.
© AP Photo/Andy Wong
© AP Photo/Andy Wong
The city continues to live
However, even the “red” alarm level did not seriously affect the lives of citizens. Even though classes in schools and kindergartens were cancelled, other Beijingers were forced to travel to work and on business as usual. The owners of numerous scooters, mopeds and other two-wheeled vehicles were also not deterred by the smog. In Beijing, special lanes are equipped for two-wheeled vehicles, with the exception of motorcycles with internal combustion engines. People in large numbers continued to travel there on business every day since Friday; only the number of people wearing protective masks on their faces increased.
There were slightly more people in the metro, this is primarily due to the fact that car owners who could not use their cars due to travel restrictions were forced to switch to public transport. The situation is similar with buses. A distinctive feature was the slightly increased number of people wearing masks. At the same time, many Beijing residents wear masks even on days when there is practically no smog.
In addition to the large number of four-wheelers and two-wheelers on the road, regular street trading continues in Beijing with the introduction of the red alert level. Vendors offer a wide variety of goods: fried flatbreads, vegetables, waffles and even fruits. In the morning, many people gather near such mobile retail outlets, buying breakfast or just a snack on their way to work.
One street vendor in the Chaoyang district in eastern Beijing, when asked if he was afraid of selling food in such conditions, replied: “I was born in Beijing, I’m not afraid of the smog, it may be harmful. But people continue to buy.”
Another sign that life in Beijing continues as normal is the number of smokers, which have not decreased since last Friday. People smoke on the street on their way to the store, to work, or while walking. Some smoke as usual even in office buildings, where “No Smoking!” reminders are posted everywhere. In the building where the Rossiya Segodnya office is located, violating smokers these days could be found on the stairs and even in the toilets.
Chinese media during the red alert period published photographs of the city's main attractions, where the number of visitors could be seen to have decreased, but not too much.
Where is the protection and what to do?
In Beijing, a popular product throughout the year, not only during periods of heavy smog, is protection against PM2.5 particles, which are part of smog, and are protective masks.
In large retail chains such as Walmart and 7eleven, protective masks can be purchased all year round. For example, at Walmart, during the red alert level, the number of protective masks offered to customers increased slightly. “Supply and sales have not increased very much,” said a sales consultant for the retail chain, answering a question about whether sales had increased due to the heavy smog. Moreover, if previously masks were located in the personal care products department, then during smog you can find masks at the checkout.
Prices for masks in Beijing vary widely. The simplest mask can be bought for 5-10 yuan (about 45-90 rubles), masks with a higher degree of protection are offered for more than 20 yuan. Most of the masks offered are white, however, other colors are also available. You can also buy more expensive masks on the Internet. For example, through Taobao, a popular Internet platform in China, you can purchase masks that cost over 250 yuan. Also, those who like to stand out from the crowd have the opportunity to buy a mask with some kind of design, or even with the image of the popular cartoon character SpongeBob. The difference in the price of masks is due to their design, material and level of protection. More expensive masks have special filters to purify the inhaled air.
To combat smog, Beijing residents can also purchase special air purifiers. The simplest models cost from several hundred yuan in electronics stores. Prices for the most expensive models, which use powerful filters, can reach several thousand yuan.
During the red alert level, Beijing residents are also advised to stay outside as little as possible, do not open windows, and drink more water and vitamins.
Beijing authorities are actively fighting smog at the moment. Earlier, the deputy head of Beijing's urban planning committee, Wang Fei, said that the authorities of the Chinese capital are planning to create five special wind corridors about 500 meters wide in the city in the future to combat smog. They will pass through some parks and green areas in the center of the Chinese capital. In the future, it is possible that special corridors up to 80 meters wide will appear. In those areas for the construction of which the appropriate territory has been allocated, strict control over the scale of construction will be carried out.
In addition, it was reported that the city government plans to reduce the average amount of harmful PM2.5 particles to less than 60 micrograms per cubic meter in 2017. For comparison, in 2015 the figure was 80.6 micrograms, and in 2012 - 95.7 micrograms. The authorities also planned to tighten the ban on the transportation, sale and consumption of coal in areas in the east and west of the city. Also, 400 settlements located near Beijing will be switched to gas consumption. Also, since the beginning of 2016, city authorities have reduced the number of vehicles with high levels of air emissions on city roads by 340 thousand units.
In total, the authorities of the Chinese capital intend to spend approximately $2.5 billion this year to combat environmental pollution.
Smog in Beijing appears all year round. However, the problem with smog becomes especially acute with the onset of the heating season, which runs from mid-November to March in Beijing.
Residents of Beijing are waiting for the red alert level to be lifted so they can breathe a little easier, but it is unknown how long it will take for severe smog to once again blanket the Chinese capital.
Ecuadorian authorities have denied Julian Assange asylum at the London embassy. The founder of WikiLeaks was detained by British police, and this has already been called the biggest betrayal in the history of Ecuador. Why are they taking revenge on Assange and what awaits him?
Australian programmer and journalist Julian Assange became widely known after the website WikiLeaks, which he founded, published secret documents from the US State Department in 2010, as well as materials related to military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But it was quite difficult to find out who the police, supporting by the arms, were leading out of the building. Assange had grown a beard and looked nothing like the energetic man he had previously appeared in photographs.
According to Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno, Assange was denied asylum due to his repeated violations of international conventions.
He is expected to remain in custody at a central London police station until he appears at Westminster Magistrates' Court.
Why is the President of Ecuador accused of treason?
Former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa called the current government's decision the biggest betrayal in the country's history. “What he (Moreno - editor’s note) did is a crime that humanity will never forget,” Correa said.
London, on the contrary, thanked Moreno. The British Foreign Office believes that justice has triumphed. The representative of the Russian diplomatic department, Maria Zakharova, has a different opinion. “The hand of “democracy” is squeezing the throat of freedom,” she noted. The Kremlin expressed hope that the rights of the arrested person will be respected.
Ecuador sheltered Assange because the former president had left-of-center views, criticized U.S. policies and welcomed WikiLeaks' release of secret documents about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even before the Internet activist needed asylum, he managed to personally meet Correa: he interviewed him for the Russia Today channel.
However, in 2017, the government in Ecuador changed, and the country set a course towards rapprochement with the United States. The new president called Assange “a stone in his shoe” and immediately made it clear that his stay on the embassy premises would not be prolonged.
According to Correa, the moment of truth came at the end of June last year, when US Vice President Michael Pence arrived in Ecuador for a visit. Then everything was decided. “You have no doubt: Lenin is simply a hypocrite. He has already agreed with the Americans on the fate of Assange. And now he is trying to make us swallow the pill, saying that Ecuador is supposedly continuing the dialogue,” Correa said in an interview with the Russia Today channel.
How Assange made new enemies
The day before his arrest, WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristin Hrafnsson said that Assange was under total surveillance. “WikiLeaks uncovered a large-scale spy operation against Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy,” he noted. According to him, cameras and voice recorders were placed around Assange, and the information received was transferred to the Donald Trump administration.
Hrafnsson clarified that Assange was going to be expelled from the embassy a week earlier. This did not happen only because WikiLeaks released this information. A high-ranking source told the portal about the plans of the Ecuadorian authorities, but the head of the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry, Jose Valencia, denied the rumors.
Assange's expulsion was preceded by the corruption scandal surrounding Moreno. In February, WikiLeaks published a package of INA Papers, which traced the operations of the offshore company INA Investment, founded by the brother of the Ecuadorian leader. Quito said it was a conspiracy between Assange and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and former Ecuadorian leader Rafael Correa to overthrow Moreno.
In early April, Moreno complained about Assange's behavior at Ecuador's London mission. “We must protect the life of Mr. Assange, but he has already crossed all boundaries in terms of violating the agreement that we came to with him,” the president said. “This does not mean that he cannot speak freely, but he cannot lie and hack.” ". At the same time, back in February last year it became known that Assange at the embassy was deprived of the opportunity to interact with the outside world, in particular, his Internet access was cut off.
Why Sweden stopped its prosecution of Assange
At the end of last year, Western media, citing sources, reported that Assange would be charged in the United States. This was never officially confirmed, but it was because of Washington’s position that Assange had to take refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy six years ago.
In May 2017, Sweden stopped investigating two rape cases in which the portal’s founder was accused. Assange demanded compensation from the country's government for legal costs in the amount of 900 thousand euros.
Earlier, in 2015, Swedish prosecutors also dropped three charges against him due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.
Where did the investigation into the rape case lead?
Assange arrived in Sweden in the summer of 2010, hoping to receive protection from American authorities. But he was investigated for rape. In November 2010, a warrant was issued for his arrest in Stockholm, and Assange was put on the international wanted list. He was detained in London, but was soon released on bail of 240 thousand pounds.
In February 2011, a British court decided to extradite Assange to Sweden, after which a number of successful appeals followed for the WikiLeaks founder.
British authorities placed him under house arrest before deciding whether to extradite him to Sweden. Breaking his promise to the authorities, Assange asked for asylum at the Ecuadorian embassy, which was granted to him. Since then, the UK has had its own claims against the WikiLeaks founder.
What awaits Assange now?
The man was re-arrested on a US extradition request for publishing classified documents, police said. At the same time, Deputy Head of the British Foreign Ministry Alan Duncan said that Assange would not be sent to the United States if he faced the death penalty there.
In the UK, Assange is likely to appear in court on the afternoon of April 11. This is stated on the WikiLeaks Twitter page. British authorities are likely to seek a maximum sentence of 12 months, the man's mother said, citing his lawyer.
At the same time, Swedish prosecutors are considering reopening the rape investigation. Attorney Elizabeth Massey Fritz, who represented the victim, will seek this.
