The authorities in Beijing, China have issued their second red alert warning following heavy smog covering the city.
The city issued it’s first-ever such warning earlier in December and have just issued their second warning for this weekend, and it is expected that the pollution index will probably exceed 500. At levels higher than 300, residents are encouraged to remain indoors, according to government guidelines.
The red alerts are usually issued after three days of extremely high levels of air pollution. When these alerts are issued vehicles are forced off the roads, factories and construction sites shut down and schools and nurseries advised to close.
But how serious actually is the air pollution in China, and what does it mean for it’s residents?
Recent research has shown that the pollution is the cause of over 1.6 millions deaths in China every year. This equates to around 4,400 people every single day.
According to Time, Researchers from Berkeley Earth, a non-profit climate research organization, published an online study Thursday that finds that pollution causes about 17% of deaths in China. Researchers came to their conclusions after analyzing four months of data taken at 1,500 locations across China, South Korea, and Taiwan.
The study found that the most deadly pollutant, comes in the form of tiny particles derived from places like electric power plants and fossil fuels used in homes and factories for heating. These particles can enter the lungs and bloodstream and cause illnesses ranging from asthma to heart disease.
However, a top economic planner has said that the way to get around this problem, China needs 10 more megacities. The planner has said that all of these new cities must include top schools, hospitals, and corporate headquarters to ease the strain on Beijing.
However, it seems that some businesses are making the most of the red alerts in China. Vanity Air, a Canadian company that sells bottled air, have found a lucrative market and are selling and shipping cans in high quantities over to China to help citizens with the high levels of pollution that they’re facing.
Photo by: Getty Images via The Independent