The effects of the pollution in Beijing are comparable to that of a nuclear winter, Chinese environmental wellness scientists have warned. If enough nuclear bombs were detonated, it is said that so many particles would be thrown into the air that the sun could be blocked out enough to alter the weather and damage the food supply. And, according to He Dongxian from ChinaAgriculturalUniversity’s College of Water Resources and Civil Engineering, this process is now under way in China’s capital city and six northern provinces. Not only is the toxic smog is hindering photosynthesis of plants now, but Dongxian warned that if this continues much longer, it could affect food production. Compared to seedlings grown in a lab, Dongxian demonstrated that seedlings in Beijing were taking over twice as long to grow. She commented, ‘Every farm is caught in a smog panic.’
The pollution in China has been so severe that tourism has dropped, aircrafts have been grounded and roads have been closed. Moreover, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has underlined the direct danger posed to human health, giving readings in Beijing on Tuesday that had alarming results. WHO reported that the level of PM 2.5 particles reached 505 micrograms per cubic metre. PM 2.5 particles are a key measure of pollution because they are small enough to be assimilated into your blood stream and, at 505 micrograms, they are far higher than the maximum level WHO considers to be safe, which is 25.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom, as China’s naval chief has found a rather more positive side to the country’s awful pollution. He pointed out that the smog provides an effective barrier against the emerging threat of laser weaponry. Days after it was reported that the US Navy planned to deploy its first laser weapon aboard one of its ships in the Middle East, Rear Admiral Zhang Zhaozhong, a military expert at the National Defence University, said that lasers were ‘most afraid of smog’ because the distance the laser can be fired is severely hampered. Zhaozhong explained, ‘Under conditions where there is no smog, a laser weapon can fire (at a range of) 10 kilometres. When there’s smog, it’s only one kilometre. What’s the point of making this kind of weapon?’
That said, authorities are not allowing smog to continue, introducing anti-pollution policies and pledging to clean up the environment. However, the problem has not eased; Beijing has been draped in stinking smog for more than a week. As of Tuesday, 147 industrial companies in the capital had cut or suspended production in an effort to cut pollution, and city residents are growing angry and alarmed. Bernhard Schwartlander, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative in China, noted, ‘Of course, on days where pollution levels reach or even exceed the scale, we are very concerned and we have to see this as a crisis. There’s now clear evidence that, in the long term, high levels of air pollution can actually also cause lung cancer.’
It’s not just Beijing that faces the major impacts of pollution; Hebei, a major industrial region surrounding Beijing, has some of the most polluted cities in the world’s most populous country. In 2013, Shijiazhuang routinely recorded ‘beyond index’ measurements of polluting ‘particulate matter’. In fact, the province has been identified by the China Academy of Sciences as a major source of noxious smog that hung over Beijing a year ago. Hence, in an action plan for Hebei in September, the government said that it would ban new projects in certain industries, close outdated steel and cement facilities and slash coal use.
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