Smoke recently forced the cancellation of nearly 700 flights at Beijing Airport, sparking a storm of mini-media. Because the flight had been cancelled at the Beijing airport a number of occasions over the past two decades because of pollution, why all the attention now?
First, flight cancellation occurs generally in the spring as a result of yellow dust storms in North China plain. City of Beijing has little ability to control this choking clouds of dust. This time, however, pollution is Beijing all do.
But the real catalyst to halt the current United States Embassy. If Beijing residents who had resigned to live in this country, that is the alternative reality is no longer the case. United States Embassy has changed the way the game is played. Every day, NPR reported, pollution of the Embassy that was recorded by the Embassy hit level is described as “beyond index.” Beijing Municipal Bureau of environmental protection, on the other hand, reported air pollution as “light.”
There are important differences in the pollutants Beijing reports (PM 10) and those that the US Embassy report (PM 2.5 and ozone) and how each level of air quality (the United States to have stricter standards for clean air). Environmental expert Steven q. Andrews provides excellent analysis that compares two sets of measurements and standards. (Steven is my personal hero have been people who, a few years ago, the Chinese Government found the habit of moving air pollution monitoring equipment for less heavily trafficked areas to improve the air quality assessment.)