Beijing adopts emergency measures for 'hazardous' pollution by Niki2

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Beijing adopts emergency measures for 'hazardous' pollution

POSTED BY: NIKI2
UPDATED: Wednesday, January 16, 2013 10:16
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Monday, January 14, 2013 8:05 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

So. This is where WE want to go?

Quote:
Schoolchildren were ordered to halt outdoor sports activities until Tuesday this week, as a dirty cloud of smog continued to shroud China's capital.

This was among a series of emergency response measures adopted in Beijing Sunday when the city's Air Quality Index exceeded 500 micrograms, the highest level. Anything above this is regarded as "beyond index."

Reports of respiratory problems -- as well as the sale of masks -- have skyrocketed, according to state media, and over the weekend, streets appeared emptier, as a sun was barely visible amid a hazy blanket.

On Monday morning the U.S. Embassy in Beijing recorded "hazardous" levels of pollution, with a "Beyond Index" reading of 515 at 3:00 a.m. (2 p.m. Sunday) local time, last seen on Saturday when the air quality index, based on U.S. national air quality standards, hit as high as 755.

Beijing Hyundai Motor Company suspended production on Sunday, and nearly 30 construction sites halted construction, the China Daily cited the city's environmental protection bureau as saying.

The city's residents say pollution is worsening despite authorities' assertions that air quality has improved since the city hosted the 2008 Olympic Games.

Last year, heavy haze and smog forced the cancellation of almost 700 flights at Beijing airports.

The city is comparable to Los Angeles, another gray city, according to experts.

Los Angeles has battled air pollution since the 1950s, well before U.S. national regulation, according to Seligsohn.

"Stilll in the 1970s, 20 years later, it was famous for its smog," she said. "In the 40-plus years since the Clean Air Act was passed, L.A. has never been fully in compliance with EPA standards."

European Commission figures show that China produced 9.7 million kilotons of carbon dioxide while the United States had 5.42 million kilotons in 2011, the latest available numbers.

Wanna see it for yourself? Go to http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/14/world/asia/china-smog-blanket/index.html
?hpt=hp_t2
"I haven't seen the sun for four days", "Breathing masks are the new must-have fashion"

But hey, let's not encourage alternative forms of energy, gawd forbid, that would cost MONEY! If we really try, I'm sure we could emulate China! Good gawd we are a stupid species!

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Monday, January 14, 2013 8:44 AM

BYTEMITE

Salt Lake City:

^January 3rd of this year.

We don't technically breathe here anymore. We chew.

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Monday, January 14, 2013 8:56 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Ouch! (That map) Isn't Salt Lake in some kind of valley, or am I thinking of somewhere else? I thought that was one of the main reasons it got smog, much like Reno. I could be wrong. Sad to see, whatever the reason...

That's about it, tho'. When Jim and I moved to Marin, we never saw smog. The winds are such that it was all carried down the Peninsula to "Silicon Valley", which IS a valley, and we have no heavy industry up here. Now a smog-free day is a rarity we appreciate. We're going in the wrong direction, no question about that. And I have no expectations of it going in the opposite direction, given the way things are.

Tit for tat got us where we are today. If we want to be grownups, we need to resist the ugliness. If we each did, this would be a better reflection on Firefly and a more welcome place. I will try.

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Monday, January 14, 2013 9:03 AM

BYTEMITE

Yep, it's in a valley. The native Paiute who lived along the Jordan River called it "The Valley of Bad Air" and had legends about a dangerous curse that befell people if they breathed it in. When the bad air set in they tended to quickly pack up and move elsewhere for a while.

Of course back then I'm guessing it was more due to wildfires that funneled their smoke through here, not so much chemical pollution in winter due to atmospheric inversion.

One of the interesting things you might notice in the pictures is that the atmospheric inversion keeps the smog trapped down relatively low, and if you go up into the mountains a ways everything becomes completely clear - as well as about 20 degrees warmer.

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Monday, January 14, 2013 9:05 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Quote:
atmospheric inversion keeps the smog trapped down relatively low, and if you go up into the mountains a ways everything becomes completely clear - as well as about 20 degrees warmer.

Exactly the same here. And aside from wildfires, depending on the population density, I imagine the Indians' OWN campfires contributed, too.

Tit for tat got us where we are today. If we want to be grownups, we need to resist the ugliness. If we each did, this would be a better reflection on Firefly and a more welcome place. I will try.

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Monday, January 14, 2013 10:51 AM

FREMDFIRMA

Oh yuck.

We don't actually have a smog problem out here in the townships, although I suspect Ann Arbors ridiculously rabid and very often downright counterproductive efforts have less to do with that than a lack of traffic...

But remember what I said about way too much of Michigans power coming from coal ?
Sometimes when the wind catches just right and it rains... you REALLY don't want to be out in that if you can help it, and you damn well should get in a long shower after!
That's the OTHER reason for the superior rain gear I have.

-Frem

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Monday, January 14, 2013 5:11 PM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht

Yucky. In Portland we occasionally, very occasionally, have smog warnings in the news, usually in the summer if there are wildfires in Eastern OR, other than that we don't have that here. I'm thankful.

In positive news the Willamette river is now so much cleaner than in past times it is totally safe to swim in. My uncle and cousins have swam in it for several years now, but only this year did I determine it was safe and clean enough, our news had a cool report about how they're thinking about building a special swimming beach nearby, yay! That river has always been the bane of my existance, here it is, glowing, beckoning, but too dirty, not anymore!!!!!!!!!

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Tuesday, January 15, 2013 7:14 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Yeah, our beautiful Lake Tahoe has struggled for years to deal with the pollution problem. Now, of course, climate change is affecting it as well, which pretty much spells its doom. Lake Tahoe is one of the deepest lakes in the world. It is also one of the world’s oldest, at about two million years. But consistent efforts to reduce its pollution haven't been effective--largely I imagine because the bottom line is, as always, profit, and the profit from boats is enormous...as is their pollution.

Even the immense Grand Canyon hasn't been spared; thanx to So. Ca., Arizona and Mexico, the air quality there has degraded to the point where they keep trying to do something about it, but keep failing. Again, bottom line: profit. The coal-fired Najavo Generating Station in northern Arizona is one of the worst polluters, it spews out as much pollution in one year as 3.5 million vehicles. But efforts to get them to at least use air scrubbers is expensive and, of course, resisted. Between that, air pollution from So. Ca., etc., and uranium mining, it's pretty much a lost cuse. They talk about jobs, as is the case with all efforts at pollution control; we are SUCH a damned short-sighted species!

Tit for tat got us where we are today. If we want to be grownups, we need to resist the ugliness. If we each did, this would be a better reflection on Firefly and a more welcome place. I will try.

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Tuesday, January 15, 2013 8:25 AM

BYTEMITE

Frem: acid rain or the other chemicals given off by the coal?

Riona: Hey, if it's that close you might just be ale to walk to the river whenever you want to go swimming.

Niki: is there commercial fishing on that lake, is that why there's so many gas-powered boats?

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Tuesday, January 15, 2013 2:25 PM

FREMDFIRMA

Quote:
Originally posted by BYTEMITE:
Frem: acid rain or the other chemicals given off by the coal?

I couldn't tell ya for certain, all I know is that it's kinda greasy/chemical in scent, and mildly irritant to skin if you're out there in it for an extended period of time.

Unless it's me, by virtue of having a really thick, tough hide, but I worry about it anyhow cause skin absorbtion of chems doesn't lead anywhere good.

-F

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Tuesday, January 15, 2013 3:52 PM

RIONAEIRE

Beir bua agus beannacht

I'm afraid its not that close (a body of water that close is my dream). Its about a ten minute drive to that river from my house, Portland is big. Its about 15 minutes to the Columbia river and a half hour to the Sandy (a fantastic river in every way). No creeks in my part of town. And I can't swim in the foot deep pond at the golf course. But sledding at the golf course is fabulous, its been three years since we had enough snow to sled there though.

"A completely coherant River means writers don't deliver" KatTaya

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Wednesday, January 16, 2013 10:16 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Quote:
is there commercial fishing on that lake, is that why there's so many gas-powered boats?

No commercial fishing is ever allowed, but it's a BIG recreation draw. That's the boats. Lake Tahoe is kind of the "Mediteranean vacation spot" for those who can't afford to travel; it covers everything from swimming to boating to skiing to gambling (Reno) to hiking to horseback riding to shopping to water skiing and on and on. The seasonal population density is pretty heavy, and since that's both Winter and Summer...

Tit for tat got us where we are today. If we want to be grownups, we need to resist the ugliness. If we each did, this would be a better reflection on Firefly and a more welcome place. I will try.

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