Beijing Air Quality Index (AQI) and China Air Pollution | IQAir

What is the air quality index of Beijing?

Beijing is the capital city of the People’s Republic of China and was formerly known as
Peking. It is the world’s most populous city with an estimated population of
over 21 million residents. The city is located in the northern part of China
and covers an area of 16,500 square kilometres.

At the end of 2020, the air quality index for Beijing recorded a figure of 52 US
AQI. This classes it as “Moderate” according to the recommendations suggested
by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Other pollutants were measured with the following results: – PM2.5 = 12.5
µg/m³, PM10 = 33 µg/m³, ozone (O3) = 43 µg/m³, nitrogen
dioxide (NO2) = 24 µg/m³, sulphur dioxide (SO2) = 4 µg/m³
and carbon monoxide (CO) = 400 µg/m³. The figures are stated as micrograms per
cubic metre.

In 2019 China was classed as the 11th dirtiest country in the world. The city of Beijing was ranked at 201.

Throughout 2019, Beijing had just two months when the air quality was classified as
“Moderate” with readings between 12.1 and 35.4 µg/m³. The remaining ten months
showed readings of 35.5 to 55.4 µg/m³ which categorised it as “Unhealthy for
Sensitive Groups”, according to The WHO. This was an improvement on previous
years, though when recorded figures were 50.9 and 58.8 µg/m³ for 2018 and 2017
respectively.

What are the main sources of air pollution in Beijing?

Beijing air pollution is mainly caused by vehicle emissions and the burning of coal to
produce electricity. Other factors that influence air quality in Beijing
include the manufacturing industry and population growth.

Of the twenty cities throughout the world with the worst air quality, 16 of them
are located in China. Because of this, its Environmental Sustainability Index is ranked towards the bottom amongst
countries worldwide.

An increase in personal wealth can also have an influence here. With surplus money
at the end of each month, an individual is more able to buy a car. The number
of motor vehicles in Beijing in 2017 was estimated at 5.5 million.

Is the air quality in Beijing getting better or worse?

In the last 15 years, China has been steadily improving its air quality. It
reduced levels of PM2.5 by 47% between 2005 and 2015. Beijing recorded its
lowest ever monthly reading for air pollution in August 2019, with a low of 23 µg/m³.
The main reasons for the reduction of air pollution in China are the shift from
coal to natural gas in the power stations, the large number of electric
vehicles used by the people and the effort from the Chinese government to halt
deforestation in the country.

What are the health effects of Beijing’s polluted air?

When the air quality in Beijing is at its worst, people are urged by the government
to avoid outdoor activities. Most common health issues are a sore throat and
cough. Over the past decade, lung cancer rates have risen by over 60%. Other
consequences of air pollution in Beijing include yellow skies, higher mortality
rates, and cancelled flights due to low visibility levels.

Air pollution is very serious in many parts of the world. Nine out of ten people in
the world breathe polluted air, and the death toll caused by air pollution
reaches 7 million every year. Up to one third of deaths caused by stroke, lung
cancer and heart disease are due to air pollution. Air pollution is everywhere.
No matter where you live, you cannot escape. The fine pollutants in the air
break through our body’s defences, penetrate into our respiratory and
circulatory systems and damage our lungs, heart and brain.

The main pollutants in the air include Particulate matter which is a mixture of
solids and liquid droplets mainly from fuel combustion and road traffic; nitrogen
dioxide (NO 2) from road traffic and organic material combustion; sulphur
dioxide (SO2) burning fossil fuels and ground-level ozone (O3)
produced by the reaction of sunlight with pollutants in vehicle exhaust.

The pollutant that affects people the most is particulate matter, usually
abbreviated as PM and used as a measure of air pollution. Although particles
with a diameter of 10 microns or less (≤PM10) can penetrate and embed deep in
the lungs, the ones that are more harmful to health are those with a diameter
of 2.5 microns or less (≤PM2.5). These particles are very small, only one 60th
the diameter of a human hair.

Ozone (O3) is a major factor in causing asthma (or making it worse).
Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulphur dioxide (SO2) can also
cause asthma, bronchial symptoms, lung inflammation and decreased lung function.

More than 90% of children in the world breathe heavily polluted air every day,
putting their health and development at serious risk. In 2016, 600,000 children
died from acute lower respiratory infections caused by polluted air. One reason
why children are particularly vulnerable to air pollution is that they breathe
faster than adults and therefore absorb more pollutants. In addition, the
living space of children whose brains and bodies are still developing is closer
to the ground, where some pollutants have the highest concentrations. Air
pollution can also affect children’s neurodevelopment and cognitive abilities
and may cause asthma and childhood cancer. Children exposed to high levels of
air pollution may have a higher risk of developing chronic diseases such as
cardiovascular disease in later life.

What can be done to improve Beijing’s air quality?

The local authorities in Beijing realised how successful their policy to reduce
traffic was for the 2008 Olympics. The most common way of reducing traffic is
to prohibit certain vehicles from entering certain areas on certain days of the
week. Automobiles within the 5th Ring Road shall not be allowed on public roads
for one day each week according to the end number on their license plate: from
Monday to Friday, automobiles with end numbers 1 or 6, 2 or 7, 3 or 8, 4 or 9,
5 or 0 respectively would cease going on public road space. There is a time-frame
to accompany these rules which are the hours between 07:00 to 20:00 as being
the prohibited times. These exclusions would last for about 3 months before
changing to allow different vehicles into the city on different days.

As expected, these rules and regulations do not apply to electric vehicles (EVs).
These vehicles emit no toxic waste and are therefore encouraged to be used. The
government offers incentives to people who buy and use electric cars. Some
owners regard them as being ideal for use within the city limits but remain
sceptical as to how suitable they are for longer journeys out of town. The fear
is a lack of recharging hubs or the lack of knowledge as to where they are
located. No doubt there is an app that can be downloaded to your phone, which
would help, but the confidence to use them for longer journeys is just not
there.

China will ban all new coal-fired power stations and start to replace existing ones
with natural gas as a power source. In some parts of China, steel production
has been reduced.

According to data from the Ministry of Environmental Protection, from October to November
2018, Beijing’s PM2.5 concentration dropped by more than 40% year-on-year, and
the monthly data in November fell 54% year-on-year. In November last year, the
proportion of days with good air in Beijing was 80%, and heavy pollution
occurred for 1 day. In November 2016, the proportion of days with good air in
Beijing was 43.3%, with heavy pollution for 6 days and severe pollution for 1
day.

In recent years, the smog in Beijing has been criticized. In autumn and winter,
social media will be “screened” by air pollution warnings and grey haze
photos, and the streets will be full of Beijing residents wearing masks walking
hurriedly.

PM2.5 can be divided into primary source and secondary source, which are both
man-made and non-man-made, which is very complicated. There are thousands of
sources of PM2.5, some of which are unclear. Research data includes monitoring
data, meteorological data, pollutant emissions, source characteristics, and
seasonal changes. The current data is very limited and more research is needed.

Actions that can save lives and help save the planet include raising vehicle standards,
prioritising clean public transportation and ways to promote physical activity,
and using more efficient stoves and fuel alternatives for cooking, lighting,
and heating.

Can the smog in Beijing be controlled?

The most important way to control smog is to reduce emissions. The large-scale use
of various fossil energy sources is the main cause of hazy weather. You need to
burn coal to generate electricity. In fact, less than 30% of the coal burned is
converted into electricity, and the rest is discharged. Automobiles, ships and
other machinery need petroleum. Similarly, engines only convert less than 30%
of petroleum into power, and the rest is also discharged. In other words, our
energy use is “expensive”, less use and more emissions. It is
unrealistic to reduce energy use, and clean energy is far from being able to
meet demand and is expensive. If 70% of the existing energy can be used and 30%
of the emissions can be used, the environmental and energy problems will be
solved at the same time, and the human society will have sustainable
development.

Also, plant more trees for afforestation. Afforestation is of great significance for
regulating climate, conserving water sources, and reducing air pollution.
Because trees can absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. They can also
withstand wind and sandstorms, and at the same time can also beautify the
environment. Artificial afforestation can be divided into five types of timber
forests, protection forests, economic forests, firewood forests and special
purpose forests according to different management purposes and characteristics.
For example, bamboo, willow, oleander, locust trees, camphor trees, yew and so
on. This requires the participation of many people, because it not only
beautifies the homeland, reduces the harm of soil erosion and sandstorm damage
to farmland, but also effectively improves the carbon storage capacity of the
forest ecosystem.

Beijing has established a coordinating organisation including 13 municipal departments
and 16 district and county governments. When heavy pollution occurs, each
district and county must take corresponding emergency measures according to its
own situation.

The “Regulations on the Prevention and Control of Air Pollution in
Beijing” began to solicit public opinion from the whole society. The
municipal government can take measures to restrict traffic in certain areas
according to the quality of the air environment; key pollution sources should
follow the regulations in their own units. Websites or other public places
disclose information such as the pollutant discharge situation that it monitors
by itself. This series of powerful measures is expected to ensure its
implementation through regulations. Beijing will continue to prevent and
control air pollution through nine major measures including the development of
new energy sources and the reduction of automobile exhaust emissions.

It could be mandatory to install desulphurization, denitrification and dust
removal facilities in all coal-fired power plants, coal-fired boilers, and coal
chemical plants. On the basis that most of the existing independent thermal power
plants have installed desulphurization facilities, all independent thermal
power plants, self-built thermal power plants, coal-fired boilers and coal
chemical plants will be further required to install desulphurization facilities
as soon as possible. At the same time, all large coal-fired power plants,
coal-fired boilers and coal chemical plants will be required to install
denitrification and dust removal facilities.

The cause of smog is mainly due to the increase in traffic in the city centres and
the greatly increased emissions of car exhausts and also because of the
increase in carbon dioxide released by heating in winter. Another reason is
that dust rises off the ground and into the air, which also provides conditions
for the generation of haze. If people remain in the hazy environment for extended
periods of time, it may cause problems in the respiratory system. The risk of
trachealis and emphysema may increase greatly, and it may also increase blood
pressure and heart function problems.

What caused the strongest sandstorm in the past ten years which turned the skies over Beijing orange?

In the early months of 2021, China had been hit by the strongest sandstorm in the past 10 years.

There was a strong cyclone blowing across from Inner Mongolia and towards north-western China, from northern Xinjiang to central and western Gansu. Strong winds were blowing at between 8 to 10 times stronger than is normal at this time of year.

Beijing Meteorological Observatory issued a blue gale warning and a blue sand and dust warning to remind citizens to protect themselves against sand and dust.

According to data released, the highest PM10 concentration was 6496 µg/m³ in the Beijing suburbs and several other readings were reportedly off the scale. On the AQI website the US AQI number was reported as being 1960 which puts it firmly in the “Hazardous” category.

Many local people put pictures on the social media site “WeChat” which almost turned the situation into a scene from a sci-fi movie with yellow and orange filters which gave their pictures an eerie retro look.

Fortunately, after the peak during mid-morning, the level of sand and dust in Beijing had abated, and the visibility had improved significantly since then.