There has always been smog in China. Why Beijing suffers from dense smog

The authorities of Ecuador have deprived Julian Assange of asylum in the London embassy. The founder of WikiLeaks is detained by the British police, and this has already been called the biggest betrayal in the history of Ecuador. Why is Assange being avenged and what awaits him?

Julian Assange, a programmer and journalist from Australia, became widely known after the website WikiLeaks, founded by him, published secret documents of the US State Department, as well as materials related to military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2010.

But it was quite difficult to find out who the policemen, supporting by the arms, were taking out of the building. Assange grew a beard and did not look at all like the energetic man that he had so far presented in photographs.

According to Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno, Assange's asylum was denied because of his repeated violations of international conventions.

He is expected to remain at a police station in central London until he appears before Westminster Magistrates' Court.

Why the President of Ecuador is accused of betrayal

Former President of Ecuador Rafael Correa called the decision of the current government the biggest betrayal in the history of the country. "What he (Moreno. - Approx. ed.) did is a crime that humanity will never forget," Correa said.

London, on the contrary, thanked Moreno. The British Foreign Office believes that justice has prevailed. The representative of the Russian diplomatic department, Maria Zakharova, has a different opinion. "The hand of 'democracy' is squeezing the throat of freedom," she said. The Kremlin expressed the hope that the rights of the arrested person would be respected.

Ecuador harbored Assange because the former president was center-left, critical of US policy, and welcomed WikiLeaks' release of classified documents on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Even before the Internet activist needed asylum, he managed to get to know Correa personally: he interviewed him for the Russia Today channel.

However, in 2017, the government in Ecuador changed, the country headed for rapprochement with the United States. The new president called Assange "a stone in the shoe" and immediately made it clear that his stay on the territory of the embassy would not be delayed.

According to Correa, the moment of truth came at the end of June last year, when US Vice President Michael Pence arrived in Ecuador on a visit. Then everything was decided. "You can be sure: Lenin is just a hypocrite. He has already agreed with the Americans about the fate of Assange. And now he is trying to make us swallow the pill, saying that Ecuador allegedly continues the dialogue," Correa said in an interview with Russia Today.

How Assange made new enemies

The day before his arrest, WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristin Hrafnsson said that Assange was under total surveillance. "WikiLeaks uncovered a massive spy operation against Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy," he said. According to him, cameras and voice recorders were placed around Assange, and the information received was transmitted to the administration of Donald Trump.

Hrafnsson specified that Assange was going to be expelled from the embassy a week earlier. This did not happen only because WikiLeaks made this information public. A high-ranking source told the portal about the plans of the Ecuadorian authorities, but the head of the Ecuadorian Foreign Ministry, Jose Valencia, denied the rumors.

Assange's expulsion was preceded by a corruption scandal involving Moreno. In February, WikiLeaks published the INA Papers package, which traced the operations of the offshore company INA Investment, founded by the brother of the Ecuadorian leader. In Quito, they said that this was a plot by Assange with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and former head of Ecuador Rafael Correa to overthrow Moreno.

In early April, Moreno complained about Assange's behavior in Ecuador's London mission. “We have to protect the life of Mr. Assange, but he has already crossed all the lines in terms of violating the agreement that we reached with him,” the president said. “This does not mean that he cannot speak freely, but he cannot lie and hack ". At the same time, back in February last year, it became known that Assange at the embassy was deprived of the opportunity to interact with the outside world, in particular, he was turned off access to the Internet.

Why Sweden stopped persecuting Assange

At the end of last year, Western media, citing sources, reported that Assange would be charged in the United States. This was never officially confirmed, but it was precisely because of Washington's position that Assange had to take refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy six years ago.

Sweden, in May 2017, stopped investigating two cases of rape in which the founder of the portal was accused. Assange demanded compensation from the country's government for legal costs in the amount of 900,000 euros.

Earlier, in 2015, Swedish prosecutors also dropped three charges against him due to the statute of limitations.

Where did the rape investigation lead?

Assange arrived in Sweden in the summer of 2010, hoping to get protection from US authorities. But he was under investigation for rape. In November 2010, a warrant for his arrest was issued in Stockholm, and Assange was put on the international wanted list. He was detained in London, but was soon released on bail of 240 thousand pounds.

In February 2011, a British court ruled to extradite Assange to Sweden, followed by a series of successful appeals for the founder of WikiLeaks.

The British authorities placed him under house arrest before deciding to extradite him to Sweden. Breaking his promise to the authorities, Assange asked for asylum in the Ecuadorian embassy, ​​which was granted to him. Since then, the UK has had its own grievances against the founder of WikiLeaks.

What's next for Assange?

The man was re-arrested at the request of the United States for extradition for publishing classified documents, police said. At the same time, Deputy Foreign Minister Alan Duncan said that Assange would not be sent to the United States if he faced the death penalty there.

In the UK, Assange is likely to appear in court on the afternoon of 11 April. This is stated on the WikiLeaks Twitter page. It is likely that the British authorities will seek a maximum sentence of 12 months, the man's mother said, citing his lawyer.

At the same time, the Swedish prosecutor's office is considering reopening the investigation into the rape allegation. Lawyer Elizabeth Massey Fritz, who represented the interests of the victim, will seek this.

Smog is one of China's biggest problems. Smog is similar to fog, in which nothing is visible a few meters away and it is very difficult to breathe.

Causes of smog in China?

Where in China could? Smog in China is caused by heavy air pollution. This is due to the fact that there are many factories in China that emit hazardous substances. In addition, coal is heated in the northern provinces, which also pollutes the atmosphere. Therefore, the dirtiest period in China is winter. In winter, smog envelops almost the entire country, but is especially common in the north: in Beijing, Changchun, Shenyang, Dalian, Qingdao. Light smog, the Chinese no longer notice. More or less clean air in the south of China, in Tibet, in Yunnan province, on Hainan Island, in the Uighur Autonomous Region and partly in Inner Mongolia. Periodically there is smog brought by the wind from northern China. Among megacities, Shenzhen is considered the cleanest in this regard.
Chinese smog is a big environmental disaster not only for China. But the whole world turns a blind eye to her, because no one wants to quarrel with the Middle Kingdom. Sometimes smog from China reaches Russia, sometimes it covers South Korea. It happens that smog reaches Taiwan and Southeast Asia and even America. About 28% of San Francisco's smog is said to be Chinese.

What do the Chinese breathe?

It’s even scary to imagine what the Chinese breathe and what’s going on in their lungs. People are dying from polluted air, and smog causes a lot of problems. When it rains, dirt settles on the ground and enters the water. Then it turns out to be what people eat and drink. Living in such an environment is difficult and very harmful. Periodically, Beijing and other major cities in China are declared the highest level of danger due to smog. Everyone does not like it, but the Chinese are already used to it. While the smog intensifies in Beijing, schools are closed, many do not go to work, people try to stay at home if there is no special need, and if they go outside, they wear masks. The Chinese install air purifiers in their homes. Because of the smog, many people leave China.

Prospects for smog

According to the Chinese government, the great Chinese smog is the main dissatisfaction of the people of the country. Attempts are constantly being made to combat this phenomenon, but so far to no avail. The government plans to close all coal stations by 2017, and to completely rid China of smog by 2030. By the Winter Olympics in 2022, they promise to significantly clean the air. Most likely, production will simply be suspended for a certain period, as was already the case during the summer Olympics. It seems that in the future this ecological catastrophe in China will only progress.

People in China are also trying to fight smog in a public way. They arrange exhibitions of photographs of smog, designers present entire collections of street masks, the Internet is full of various jokes about a Chinese who vacuumed the air and has already vacuumed a whole brick. You can install the application of air pollution levels throughout China on your phone.

In autumn and winter in Beijing there is a terrible smog. And in other cities too.

Already in 104 Chinese cities, pollution levels have reached 300 micrograms per cubic meter, 12 times the recommended level.

More than 70 percent of fresh water bodies are unsuitable for animals to drink from them. In fact, the country is turning into a huge gas chamber.

Here is the difference. Left - when I could. And on the right it is not. It's not easy to take a breath of fresh air in China.

In many cities in China, walking the streets without a mask is uncomfortable. Many Chinese do not go out without them. Many people wear a mask as a preventive measure against infectious diseases, but mainly because breathing polluted air is very harmful.

The harm from smoking a pack of cigarettes a day is tantamount to harm from walking through the streets of Beijing without a mask. Smog, like the Great Wall of China, is visible from space.

The release of toxic substances into the atmosphere in China is so great that it does not have time to dissipate before it crosses the Pacific Ocean and reaches San Francisco. In this city, a fourth of the dirty air is Chinese. The San Franciscans, of course, are very unhappy with this.

Smog is caused by tiny but solid particles in the air. They can obscure visibility and make breathing difficult, cause plant-killing acid rain, and discolor paint on buildings.

If these particles enter the human body, they can exacerbate asthma, damage the lungs, and cause a heart attack.

It seems that the city survived the nuclear winter. It's almost impossible to see anything. It looks like the entire city is on fire. There is a constant cough with black sputum, there is even the concept of "Beijing cough".

Clear skies were often only visible on huge banner screens set up throughout the city.

This video was filmed in January 2017. In the fast motion mode, you can see how in 20 minutes the haze almost completely envelops one of the streets of the Chinese capital.

Skyscrapers turn into dark silhouettes, and clean air into a yellowish fog. Then airports, kindergartens and schools are closed.

Farmers staged a real panic due to the fact that the plants stopped receiving the necessary doses of sunlight.

There are several reasons for smog. More than 20 million people live in Beijing, and many more come here. On the streets there are a huge number of all kinds of eateries, cooking on an open fire. The sharp drop in temperature in winter leads to an increased demand for electricity.

The exorbitant passion of the capital's residents for cars exacerbated the situation. There are over 5 million cars in Beijing. The narrow streets of the capital, unorganized traffic - a cloud of exhaust gases mixed with industrial soot and dust, an infernal haze hung over the city.

The main cause of smog is China's coal plants and oil giants, which produce low quality fuel.

Due to the terrible ecology, foreign specialists began to leave Beijing, primarily those who have children. Wealthy Chinese are also not far behind, either leaving for cleaner cities in China or emigrating to other countries.

Now the authorities are trying to solve this problem with smog by all means. They promise to close the only coal-fired power plant in Beijing. And soon to close all coal stations. By 2030, completely rid China of smog.

By the Winter Olympics in 2022, they promise to significantly clean the air. Here are my surprises. Who voted to organize such a big holiday in the winter in Beijing. Were they there? Just nightmares. Most likely, production will simply be suspended for a certain period, as was already the case during the summer Olympics.

They plan to build special structures consisting of powerful fans that will help fight urban smog. Ventilation corridors 500 meters long and 80 meters long are planned to be built along green areas and highways. Such systems will be able to increase the air flow, smog will be blown out of the city.

There are restrictions on driving. They plan to spend 30 billion dollars for the development of renewable energy projects, that is, solar and wind generators.

In the meantime, you have to breathe this smog, what can you do.

MOSCOW, January 9 - RIA Novosti. The reason for the existence of constant smog in the capital of China is not only car engines, but also coal-fired power plants and boilers on the outskirts of Beijing, environmentalists say in an article published in the journal

“In the early stages of air pollution over Beijing, its condition was affected by winds that carried air at an altitude of about 500-1000 meters from the south. When the smog formed, the height of the zone where the air masses mix dropped sharply, as a result of which the concentration of harmful substances increased sharply In addition, the increase in air humidity has led to an explosive growth in the concentration of aerosol droplets in the air,” says Yuesi Wang from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Academy of Sciences in Beijing (China).

Beijing, according to scientists, is considered one of the most polluted cities in China and on Earth as a whole. Smog almost constantly hangs over the city, which the city authorities unsuccessfully tried to disperse on the eve of the 2008 Summer Olympics. Residents of the city and environmentalists considered the cause of pollution a sharp increase in the number of cars: over the past 15 years, their number has increased 7 times and reached 17 million.

As Wang and his colleagues found out, in fact, not only machines were to blame for the birth of smog, but also other products of civilization and processes in the lower atmosphere, which intensified and accelerated the formation of "fog", as the Chinese authorities call it.

Beijing in the grip of smog or Breathing deeply is not recommendedOn December 16, a "red" alert level was issued in the Chinese capital due to air pollution. Since then, the situation has only worsened, but Beijing residents are waiting for the night from Wednesday to Thursday, when the coming cold snap should "ventilate" the city of many millions.

Chinese ecologists came to this conclusion by observing where and how air flows in the lower atmosphere about a kilometer above the Earth's surface. Here is the so-called "mixing zone" - a layer of the atmosphere where gases rising from the surface "dissolve" in the air due to the existence of turbulent winds there.

This process plays an important role in the Earth's ecology, as it allows harmful emissions to dissipate and prevent them from accumulating over cities and industrial centers. As it turned out, the processes in this zone and its very position depend on how heavily polluted the air is.

By observing the formation of smog in Beijing, Tianqing and a number of other cities in the North China Lowland in October and November 2014, Chinese scientists found that the combination of a large amount of steam emissions, exhaust gases and warm air streams moving towards the Chinese capital from the nearby plateau leads to a sharp decrease in the height of this zone.

Nearly 500 flights canceled at Beijing airport due to cloudiness and smogOnly 43% of scheduled flights were able to fly to their destination. The airport authorities said that air traffic will begin to normalize as the smog eases.

At an altitude of about 500 meters above the Earth's surface, the winds do not blow as strongly as in higher layers of the atmosphere, as a result of which the speed at which exhaust gases and aerosols dissipate drops sharply, and they begin to quickly accumulate in the air over Beijing, creating smog. .

Thus, the trigger mechanism for this process is not cars in the center of the capital, but coal-fired power plants and industrial enterprises in the vicinity of Beijing, emitting aerosols into the air masses that move towards Beijing from high areas of the terrain.

This means that it will be possible to fight smog in Beijing only when restrictions on the burning of coal and oil products are introduced not only in the capital of China itself, but also in those areas through which air masses move, the scientists conclude.

July 21st, 2018, 09:03 am

These three antennas in one of the residential complexes of the Chinese capital just hint at how dense the local smog can sometimes be: otherwise, such a "fundamental" equipment cannot catch a communication signal lost in a shroud! We smile. This is, of course, a technically unjustified joke, and the picture does not show smoke, but vignetting. But the smog as such, I must warn you, in Beijing is not at all a joke. I repeatedly spoke with compatriots before the trip and during the trip, who, seeing the haze in the air, treated it quite calmly: gas pollution as gas pollution. No masks, no idea of ​​how this white veil differs from its Moscow "colleague". And besides, so many Chinese in the crowd are calm. What to panic?

For those who do not want to sleep peacefully and still want to learn more about Beijing smog, I recommend the specialized monitoring resource AQICN. There are also current pollution indicators in Chinese (and not only) cities, and a FAQ section with useful publications, and a separate section on masks. The main language of the texts is English. Now the answer to the question, why panic. I was in the capital of the Celestial Empire for a little over a week. During all this time, only two days after heavy rains were the period when the air pollution index of hazardous fine particles of 2.5 PM was comparable to the average values ​​of major European capitals, incl. with preserved measurement data for Moscow. During these two days, already accustomed to the smog, I very much felt the enormous difference between the degree of purity of the air I inhaled and the air that I had breathed for several days in a row before. At the same time, the visibility horizon from observation points expanded by a dozen or even more kilometers. The other two days were the period when the air pollution index crossed the 250 AQI mark (very unhealthy, followed by city officials, I read, even resorting to business shutdowns). Visibility during this period was similar to visibility in a fog: in places, smog waves limited the viewing horizon to only a hundred or two meters, in places it was possible to see something a kilometer away, but no tens of kilometers were available from viewpoints. On one of those days I went to the Great Wall of China. I didn’t check what the index was in her area, but it was simply impossible to visually see the wall from hill to hill. The main thing that worries me in all this haze is precisely those 2.5 PM particles, the size of which is small enough to overcome the biological barriers of the body's defenses, and due to this cause exceptional harm. It is these particles that the Beijing smog can be "proud of" if you compare the indicators of air pollution by them in China and in other countries. A couple of publications about the dangers of fine pollution ... and you, like me, if not all the time, then certainly some will spend in Beijing wearing a mask.

Masks in Beijing are easy to find. Valid in any pharmacy. They are inexpensive by European standards. For example, I bought myself a package of three masks with N95 protection level (the lower level is not recommended in articles and reviews; you will always see the level itself on the package in large print) and built-in valves to make breathing easier for 33 yuan, i.e. each mask cost an average of 11 yuan (about 110 rubles). You can buy cheaper, if you don’t find fault with the design, or even save on valves (I don’t recommend tourists who are actively exploring new cities, because valves really seriously simplify life), paying much less money for such a product. And do not buy gauze "fig leaves" if suddenly the atmospheric thickens over your head. All health!

P.S. About the mentioned Moscow smog. And about Russian in general.
I will disappoint, but there are still few resources with regular uploads of monitoring data in the public domain...

P.P.S. The great Chinese firewall did not block the AQICN resource that I visited via wi-fi throughout my trip.