China, pollution alarm: Beijing shrouded in a blanket of smog and sand

BEIJING. Beijing woke up today covered in a thick layer of yellowish smog, the result of a surge in pollution and a sandstorm from Mongolia that reduced visibility to less than 1,000 meters. It is the strongest and largest sandstorm in the last 10 years and has forced airports to block over 400 flights. The municipal government, by launching the 24-hour “yellow” alert for the criticality of the situation, has ordered all schools to cancel sports and external events, asking people with respiratory diseases to remain indoors. The situation, which has gone viral on social media due to the apocalyptic scenarios that has arisen, is the result of pollution in the city which has risen to “dangerous” levels, according to the air quality control website Aqicn. Levels of large particles of PM10 were nearly 20 times the maximum daily exposure recommended by WHO this morning, while the concentration of Pm2.5 microparticles was at nearly 600, more than 20 times the limit reported by the agency. of Geneva. China drastically reduced the national average level of Pm2.5 between 2015 and 2019, largely thanks to the reduction of coal for heating use, and the government has announced an ambitious goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.