Beijing shut highways and school playgrounds on Friday amid heavy pollution, as China ramped up coal output and faced scrutiny of its environmental record at global climate talks.
China — the world’s largest emitter of the greenhouse gases responsible for climate change — has boosted coal output after supply chains in recent months were roiled by an energy crunch owing to strict emissions targets and record prices for the fossil fuel.
The surge in mining comes as world leaders gathered in Scotland this week for COP26 negotiations billed as one of the last chances to avert catastrophic climate change, although Xi Jinping, China’s president, did not attend.
A thick haze of smog blanketed swaths of northern China on Friday, with visibility in some areas reduced to less than 200 metres, according to the country’s weather forecaster.
Authorities in Beijing blamed the pollution on “unfavourable weather conditions and regional pollution spread” as schools in the capital — which will host the Winter Olympics in February — were ordered to stop physical education classes and outdoor activities.
Poor Visibility
Stretches of highways to major cities including Shanghai, Tianjin and Harbin were closed Friday due to poor visibility.
Pollutants detected Friday morning by a monitoring station at the US embassy in Beijing reached levels defined as “very unhealthy” for the general population.
Levels of small particulate matter, or PM 2.5, which penetrate deep into human lungs and cause respiratory illnesses, hovered around 220 — far above the WHO recommended limit of 15.
The smog is likely to persist until at least Saturday evening, according to city officials.
Severe Smog Episodes
China said earlier this week it had increased daily coal production by more than 1 million tonnes to ease an energy shortage that had forced factories to close in recent months.
China generates about 60 per cent of its energy from burning coal.
Rapid industrialisation has made China no stranger to air pollution, although severe smog episodes have become less frequent in recent years as authorities have increasingly prioritised environmental protection.
Beijing has pledged to bring emissions of planet-heating carbon dioxide to a peak by 2030 and reduce them to net zero by 2060.
China hit back Wednesday at criticism by Joe Biden, the US president, saying “actions speak louder than words”, after he accused Beijing of not showing leadership to combat climate change.
- AFP with additional editing by Kevin Hamlin.
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