beijing smog prompts world health organisation to declare crisis
by:Yovog
2023-10-20
Thick smog covering most parts of northern China covers the World Health Organization (WHO (WHO)
Declare a crisis
For the sixth consecutive day in Beijing, residents were warned to wear masks or stay indoors just in case.
The instrument measured more than 450 of the pollution level according to the air quality index.
It is nine times the level of human security.
The skyscrapers of the Chinese capital are almost invisible in the haze.
Smog has threatened crops, local scientists say, and under-sunlight has reportedly led to a sharp decline in plant photosynthesis.
The authorities raised the pollution alert to the second.
On Friday, the highest level of \"Orange\" danger appeared for the first time after public anger over its ineffective response.
\"Of course, in the days when pollution levels reach or even exceed the scale we are very concerned about, we have to look at this as a crisis,\" said Bernhard Shiwa, WHO\'s representative in China.
\"There is now clear evidence that high levels of air pollution can actually lead to air pollution in the long run. . . lung cancer.
\"The authorities have issued numerous orders and policies and vowed to clean up the environment, but the problem seems to only get worse.
The government has invested in projects and authorized courts to impose severe penalties, but implementation at the local level is uneven and local authorities often rely on taxes paid by the polluting industry.
Hebei is a major industrial zone around Beijing and home to some of China\'s most polluted cities.
Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, routinely recorded the \"beyond index\" measurement of particulate matter in early 2013.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences identified the province as a major source of toxic smoke that was shrouded in Beijing a year ago.
In its Hebei action plan in September, the government said it would ban new projects in certain industries, shut down outdated steel and cement facilities and cut coal use.
The province promises to cut steel production by 86 million tons
About the annual output. by 2020.
This is starting to happen, according to official data.
Meanwhile, a man from the northern Smog City became the first person in the country to sue the government for failing to contain air pollution
Newspapers reported on Tuesday.
Li Guixin, a resident of Shijiazhuang city, has filed a complaint with the District Court asking the Shijiazhuang Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau to \"perform its duty to control air pollution according to law\", reported Yanzhao Metropolis Daily.
He also sought compensation from the agency for choking pollution in Shijiazhuang and most parts of northern China this winter.
It is not clear whether the court will accept Mr. Li\'s lawsuit.
\"The reason I propose administrative compensation is for every citizen to see that in this haze we are the real victims,\" the newspaper quoted Mr. Li as saying . \".
Mr. Li said that when the pollution was particularly serious in last December, he spent money on masks, air purifiers and treadmills to exercise indoors.
\"In addition to the threat to our health, we have suffered economic losses that should be borne by the government and the environmental sector because the government is the recipient of corporate tax,\" he said. \"This is a beneficiary. \"
Here are a selection of photos from China\'s smog social media: ABC/Reuters stop: environment, environment-health,air-
Declare a crisis
For the sixth consecutive day in Beijing, residents were warned to wear masks or stay indoors just in case.
The instrument measured more than 450 of the pollution level according to the air quality index.
It is nine times the level of human security.
The skyscrapers of the Chinese capital are almost invisible in the haze.
Smog has threatened crops, local scientists say, and under-sunlight has reportedly led to a sharp decline in plant photosynthesis.
The authorities raised the pollution alert to the second.
On Friday, the highest level of \"Orange\" danger appeared for the first time after public anger over its ineffective response.
\"Of course, in the days when pollution levels reach or even exceed the scale we are very concerned about, we have to look at this as a crisis,\" said Bernhard Shiwa, WHO\'s representative in China.
\"There is now clear evidence that high levels of air pollution can actually lead to air pollution in the long run. . . lung cancer.
\"The authorities have issued numerous orders and policies and vowed to clean up the environment, but the problem seems to only get worse.
The government has invested in projects and authorized courts to impose severe penalties, but implementation at the local level is uneven and local authorities often rely on taxes paid by the polluting industry.
Hebei is a major industrial zone around Beijing and home to some of China\'s most polluted cities.
Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, routinely recorded the \"beyond index\" measurement of particulate matter in early 2013.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences identified the province as a major source of toxic smoke that was shrouded in Beijing a year ago.
In its Hebei action plan in September, the government said it would ban new projects in certain industries, shut down outdated steel and cement facilities and cut coal use.
The province promises to cut steel production by 86 million tons
About the annual output. by 2020.
This is starting to happen, according to official data.
Meanwhile, a man from the northern Smog City became the first person in the country to sue the government for failing to contain air pollution
Newspapers reported on Tuesday.
Li Guixin, a resident of Shijiazhuang city, has filed a complaint with the District Court asking the Shijiazhuang Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau to \"perform its duty to control air pollution according to law\", reported Yanzhao Metropolis Daily.
He also sought compensation from the agency for choking pollution in Shijiazhuang and most parts of northern China this winter.
It is not clear whether the court will accept Mr. Li\'s lawsuit.
\"The reason I propose administrative compensation is for every citizen to see that in this haze we are the real victims,\" the newspaper quoted Mr. Li as saying . \".
Mr. Li said that when the pollution was particularly serious in last December, he spent money on masks, air purifiers and treadmills to exercise indoors.
\"In addition to the threat to our health, we have suffered economic losses that should be borne by the government and the environmental sector because the government is the recipient of corporate tax,\" he said. \"This is a beneficiary. \"
Here are a selection of photos from China\'s smog social media: ABC/Reuters stop: environment, environment-health,air-