In Pictures: On eve of climate talks, Beijing faces worst-ever pollution levels
- Text by Adam White
Beijing residents, particularly its young and elderly, have been told to stay indoors to avoid dangerous levels of smog.
The warnings, from China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection, come ironically a week before UN member states are due to meet in Paris to discuss environmental issues as part of COP21, a global conference aimed at encourage countries to reduce carbon emissions and limit the effects of climate change.
China has been notoriously bad at committing to any targets, yet China is the most polluting country in the world. A 2014 environmental study conducted by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences determining Beijing is “almost uninhabitable for human beings”, while it’s not unusual when venturing through the city to glimpse large dome-like structures enveloping some of its fanciest private schools – a means to protect China’s young elite from the harmful side effects of nearly unavoidable pollution.
On November 30, 2015 the country’s air-quality index, which deems any reading of more than 300 as ‘hazardous,’ hit a 568, a number that is off the scale of the country’s ranking system. The news will more than likely be a key point of discussion in Paris this week, with more than 190 nations coming together to discuss new action to tackle climate change.
Beijing residents have been chronicling the onslaught of smog through social media, capturing familiar metropolitan sights buried under a blanket of hazy smoke. No filter required.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Latest on Huck
Celebrating 20 years of The Mighty Boosh
A new exhibition takes a look behind the scenes of the iconic show two decades after its BBC3 premiere.
Written by: Isaac Muk
We Run Mountains: Black Trail Runners tackle Infinite Trails
Soaking up the altitude and adrenaline at Europe’s flagship trail running event, high in the Austrian Alps, with three rising British runners of colour.
The organisation levelling the playing field in the music industry
Founded in 2022, The Name Game is committed to helping female, non-binary and trans people navigate the industry.
Written by: Djené Kaba
Vibrant, rebellious portraits of young Cubans
A new photobook captures the young people redefining Cuban identity amidst increased economic and political turbulence on the Caribbean island.
Written by: Isaac Muk
How one photographer documented her own, ever-changing image
In her new photobook ‘A women I once knew’, Rosalind Fox Solomon charts the process of getting older through a series of stark self portraits taken over the course of decades.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Eddie Vedder on Kelly Slater
Read an excerpt from the Pearl Jam legend’s introduction to a new book on the surfing icon, documented by photographer Todd Glaser.
Written by: Eddie Vedder