Beijing air pollution 'as bad as it can get,' official says

AFP via Breitbart ^ | Dec 27 05:22 AM US/Eastern | AFP

[ECM]

Beijingers were warned to stay indoors on Thursday as pollution levels across the capital hit the top of the scale, despite repeated assurances by the government that air quality was improving.

"This is as bad as it can get," a spokeswoman for the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau told AFP.

"Level five is the worst level of air pollution. This is as bad as it has been all year."

According to the bureau's website, 15 out of the 16 pollution monitoring stations in urban Beijing registered a "five" for air quality rating.

The main pollutant was suspended particulate matter, which is usually attributed to coal burning and automotive exhaust.

"Old people and young children should reduce outdoor activities and protect their health," the spokeswoman said.

The Beijing Evening News warned residents not to do their morning exercises on Friday as pollution levels were likely to linger over the capital until a cold front moved in and blew some of the bad air away later in the day.

A lack of wind in the capital over recent days has led to a heavy cover of smog trapping in the pollutants, the paper said.

By nightfall, the pollution was still horrendously thick.

[cinives]

then they wouldn’t have gotten campaign contributions ... I mean kickbacks ... oh whatever :)

[JACKRUSSELL]

(Please FReepmail me if you would like to be on or off of the list.)

[dr_lew]

Here is the MODIS satellite view including Beijing on Christmas day, 12/25/2007. Beijing is right along the 40th parallel between longitude 110E and 120E on the top left of the image, in a deep atmospheric sea of gray. Click on 500m resolution and note how the bay of Bohai near Beijing is obscured, and note the mountains to the west of Beijing showing their peaks above this sea of smog ... mountains! This view is viscerally shocking when you comprehend its scope. I guess you can't say it's an unreported story, but it's certainly not given the weight it deserves.