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http://i57.tinypic.com/smdlao.jpg
Looks fine to me

More...http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/28/beijing-smog-unliveable-mayor-wang-anshun-china (http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/28/beijing-smog-unliveable-mayor-wang-anshun-china)


Any locals have any input on this situation?

I visited Beijing a few years ago and it was indeed kind of bad. My wife is heading there in a couple weeks. I'll ask her what it's like then.

BTW, that picture of a grey sky is "not bad" for an overcast/foggy day, but pretty bad for a sunny day with a "clear sky".

Forget global warming, that alone should be reason enough to get rid of all the fuels that emit those kind of fumes constantly, the last thing you want is to be breathing in smog on a daily basis, there are plenty of reasons to switch to cleaner fuels beyond "What could happen" when we have plenty of evidence on what has already happened to countries that just blatantly ignore everything that is going wrong with them.

I lived in Beijing for seven years (up until the end of 2013) and the main reason that I don't live there now is because of the pollution.

About the only time it was really nice there was during the Olympics month of August and the first two weeks of September 2008 due to the fact that they shut down hundreds (or maybe thousands) of factories (and I guess some coal fired power plants) in the surrounding areas for a few months in order to improve the air quality (they also introduced rules about the last digit of the number plate and which days you can drive within the city in 2008 which are still enforced now I believe).

It isn't just the smog btw - all the construction (less now but was crazy in 2007) in such a dry and often windy place results in more dust than I've ever experienced in my life (you have to clean your floors at least once per week and virtually no-one uses carpet because of the dust). Even without all the construction the desertification of much of north west China and the annual weather patterns means that Beijing is subject to "dust storms" every spring (making it about the least pleasant time of year you'd want to be there).

If you are keen to visit Beijing then I'd recommend mid to late September (you generally get quite a few very nice sunny days then which are also not unbearably hot and humid).

I think there's more than enough pictures available to support the mayor's premise:

Google Image Search Beijing Pollution (https://www.google.com/search?q=beijing+pollution&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS604US605&es_sm=93&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=CGfKVPutGJOxyATZyIDIAw&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=944&bih=927)

That stuff looks pretty nasty.

Anywhere else they'd be wearing gas masks in that kind of environment lets be honest.

Many people do wear "mouth and nose" masks in Beijing (and not just because they are ill).

If not already, in a few years the amount of people with lung diseases is going to be gigantic, everyone is a heavy smoker in there...

They actually have marathons in that smog!  ;D

Float/tether some blimps with carbon recyclers and hoses down to the ground.

I think its not visible, but the constituents in the air, that probably make it bad for health. I am sure this will pose a problem in the near future.

At least masks there are cheap as dirt to make

Edit: 2K post

China make a lot of pollution yes, but the climate there makes it much worse!

Beijing not most polluted city

Ahvaz, Iran:

http://spotonlists.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Ahwaz-Iran.jpg

With that being said now comes the aftermath, ether the residence of cities like Beijing evacuate and relocate and change there business model, or they can stick around to slowly suffocate.

That's why you can sell millions of fresh air cans.

YES. BOTTLED AIR!  AND PEOPLE ARE PAYING FOR IT!!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2271690/Bottled-AIR-Chinese-multimillionaire-sells-EIGHT-MILLION-cans-fresh-air-TEN-DAYS-pollution-levels-climb-record-high.html

This is the costs of economy growth, don't forget the London Smog?

But I would like to say this situation(smog) didn't happen every day, you could come across a sunny & clean weather in Beijing.

This is what happens when the government doesn't care about people's health and want to save as much money as possible. Decades ago, there were proposals to replace gasoline-run vehicles in Beijing and Shanghai with those run with CNG. No one seriously considered it. Also, China is the no.1 consumer of coal, a highly polluting fuel.

This is a strategy of China, you all never understand ;D
Let me show you why,
We have polluted air, toxic food and contaminated water.
After all of this things, our body been tempered, we have a strong heart.
If the world war 3 happen, the nuclear way will be inevitable.
The air,water and food on earth will be polluted.
Do your know who will be survived?
The answer will be Chinese people ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

PS: Of course this is a joke.

And don't forget the ARK they built to survive apocalypse in 2012 movie  ;D

https://i.imgur.com/0ZAGtGr.jpg

They will need it for sure in a 2020 =)

What about smog. They will decide this problem sooner or later. Newer cars with strict emiccion limits. No coal burning etc. Just a matter of development. Give them some time.

I have to believe the pollution is a major obstacle for the economy. In some regards, it's hard to envision China overtaking the the United States as the preeminent economic power when they have such major air quality problems. A great deal of resources will be spent dealing with that problem, and all the related health problems that will come with it. I bet the cancer rates are going to be off the charts in 20 years for residents of Beijing and other polluted cities.

True - but as they don't have state funded health care for most people the expense will be born by the people (and China has an abundance of people).

The party leadership will have no choice but to address the situation to keep them complacent, or risk mass civil unrest. The party is only interested in maintaining power, and the people will only tolerate that as long as their lives are continuously improving. These circumstances seem destined to force China to devote a lot of resources towards the problem of pollution.

I think the whole world is hoping that innovation will be tested and perfected in China in order to do that (if it isn't then the pollution is eventually going to affect everyone in the world).

I've read something about an interesting research years ago. I think it was this one (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2013/07/130708-coal-burning-shortens-lives-in-china/).

I wonder if the government is considering this a priority. After all, a collapse in workers could be a problem... but perhaps old people will go first.

Wow, that's an incredibly bleak picture, and as the study they reference was in the 1990s, I wouldn't be surprised to find that the problem is getting worse.


2.5 billion life years lost due to air pollution. What a colossal waste!

The major obstacle is china is not a democracy country.

I don't think the political system is the major obstacle but instead the massive scale of the problem they've put themselves in through their amazing feats of construction (it will have the world's largest subway system soon).

Probably they were led by economists to believe that solutions will come out of further growth and so rather than scaling back they turned it up to ten. ;)

Norilsk, Russia :o

http://buhgalter.by/photo/b7c1e210e8770992bccfbd0c53596358/db03d97fab6e9801160af45cc3200365_p.jpg

Such comparison isn't quite correct because unlike Beijing, Norilsk is industrial city and center of so-called Norilsk Industrial District. This region is closed for foreign citizens and the only its purpose is to ensure the functioning of mining and, at the same time, the metalproducing plant. In other words, it's purposed to be dirty. ::)

Indeed Beijing is nowhere near the most polluted city in China.

Note the clear view of sky and horizon in this picture.  In Beijing you will never see those things. 

No, but the party is not unresponsive to public pressure. Just look at how far they've come in the last 30 years, letting in foreign investment, the ever-constant creep of capitalism, etc. They're still corrupt as hell, but it's much better than it was in the 60's and 70's because they have to be in order to stay in power.

I'm simply try to found pictures of highly polluted cities :)

I think this because picture was taken from a height or from distance outcide the city

Only because the picture is taken from high up, above all the low lying smog. Just look at the bottom and imagine what it looks like from there. Far worse.

cant believe that people actually live there.. amazing
i think i would move to another city/country asap if i was the one living there..

ajareselde, H1N1

It's probably likely that if you live in a city like this, you don't have the means to relocate, because who would tolerate this willingly?

try to imagine long polar nights and very cold temperatures in addition to air pollutions  8)

If the smog was only like the image from OP, it'll be not too bad.
In fact, it is much worse... I think selling masks will be a big market opportunaty for the next decade or so.

http://vincent-pic.bokerb.com/keditor/2013_02/image/20130410/20130410011128_77326.jpg

The saving grace is that the problem has been recognized and efforts are underway to correct it.

That looks REALLY bad.

once upon a time... okay I say nothing, but after the air fog, one day it will be the light pollution, so that again sometimes the stars are as they once w(h)ere.  :). If only the Americans and mostly their enemies could settle their problems peacefully... it would take less time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHQG6-DojVw

That looks really. :-\

Hard to imagine where head of the country/party leaders live and work there.
Hopefully next time I won't be dispatched to Beijing for business.

they prefer to live in a clean capitals without any industry like Canberra, Washington, Astana etc...