As a Beijing resident 2011-18 - who obsessed over daily pollution AQI levels - I was interested to report out the relationship between coal power, national carbon emissions & air pollution. For long time, they tracked together. But not necessarily now. 1/
apnews.com/9a0f0b14a8034b…
apnews.com/9a0f0b14a8034b…
From the 1990s until about 2013, China's carbon emissions and air pollution levels - such as the tiny particles called PM 2.5, which harm human health - rose together. Anyone who's recently lived in a large Chinese city can tell you what smog smells and tastes like. 2/
But then air quality in many Chinese cities, including Beijing, improved significantly from 2013-17. Residents long accustomed to wearing face masks and running home air-filter machines enjoyed a reprieve of more “blue sky days,” as low-pollution days are known in China. 3/
Annual levels of PM 2.5 — a tiny but dangerous pollutant — dropped by roughly a third across China between 2013 and 2017, from 61.8 to 42 micrograms per cubic meter, according to scientists at Beijing’s Tsinghua University and other institutions. 4/
This dip came as Chinese leaders declared “war on pollution” and suspended & closed many coal power plants. The government also required many existing coal operators to install new equipment in smokestacks to remove sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxide and other hazardous substances. 5/
About 80% of China's coal plants now have these smokestack scrubbers. While retrofitted coal plants emit fewer pollutants like PM2.5, they do NOT emit fewer greenhouse gases. “You still have all that carbon dioxide that goes into the atmosphere,” said energy expert Alvin Lin. 6/
So it's now more possible to expand China's coal fleet without drawing as much domestic criticism over air pollution - that is, if the new equipment is installed properly and actually running regularly. 7/
Meanwhile, Beijing's pollution AQI levels have recently been creeping back up. A recent heavy smog episode - several days above 200 AQI - originated over the steel-making powerhouse of Tangshan, satellite images show. 8/
As other sectors of China's economy slow, the govt loosens regulations on construction projects and heavy industry, including steel & cement production. These industries are both carbon intensive and highly polluting, responsible for coal emissions growth & more smog in 2019. 10/
Note: I also wrote a separate thread earlier focusing on carbon emissions and climate, the main focus of the article, if you’re interested. (But I know past and present Beijingers & other city residents also care about local air quality.) 11/
