“Breathtaken” Beijing Brown

THE TWILIGHT ZONE
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Beijing air pollution zooms off the chart AGAIN!

Do NOT Adjust Your Sets! This time there’s no glitch or system error; it’s pure, unadulterated smog!

Beijing Air Pollution Chart: Near Real-time Air Quality Index (AQI). Source: http://aqicn.org/city/beijing/

The PM2.5 pollution in Beijing rocketed off the chart again earlier today, hitting the 614 mark, as dense smog enveloped the entire city.

A health alert is issued at a level above 300 because the pollution becomes hazardous to health, and everyone may experience serious health effects.

Last year Beijing reported 58 days of mega pollution, an average of more than one day each week, according to an official, Xinhua reported.

This year, sky is no limit!

Air Pollution Chart based on EPA recommendations.

The twilight zone is the line between the day side and night side of a planetary body, also referred to as the terminator.

Original caption: Buildings are blanketed in heavy smog in Beijing, capital of China, 16, 2014. The municipal government issued a yellow smog alert Thursday morning, as smog blanketed the city with air quality readings reaching the most polluted level. (Xinhua/Li Xin). More images…

Related Links

• “Apocalyptic” Smog Smothers China January 14, 2014
• “Apocalyptic” Smog Paralyzes Much of China December 6, 2013
• “Apocalyptic” Smog Turns Skies Yellow in North, East China December 5, 2013
• Shanghai Air Pollution Shoots Off the Chart Posted on December 2, 2013

• China’s Air Quality Chart Goes Apesh*t Again  October 28, 2013
• Air Pollution Levels Climb in China, India  October 27, 2013
• It won’t get any better, before it gets a lot worse! October 22, 2013
• Major City Shuts Down in China Smog Emergency October 21, 2013
• Smog Forces China’s Expressways Closures October 6, 2013
• Breathtaking Beijing in ‘Maroon Alert’  October 4, 2013
• Air Pollution: Visibility Down to 10 Meters in E China September 30, 2013

For earlier posts, search blog content.

China Shrouded in Sand, Dust and PM

It’ll get a lot worse, before it’s all over!

Another major sandstorm hit large portions of northern and central China including the capital Beijing .

Original caption: Citizens are seen amid dust and sand in Zhengzhou, capital of central China’s Henan Province, March 9, 2013. A sandstorm swept through Henan on Saturday, causing temperature drop and low visibility. (Xinhua/Zhao Peng). Image may be subject to copyright. More images…

•  It was the second sandstorm to hit China this year, following the February 28 massive sandstorm that originated in Gobi Desert, Mongolia.
• The sand and dust which buffeted Beijing, forced the temperatures to drop by up to 9 degree Celsius, said a report.
  
• “The wind and dusty weather changed the capital’s major air pollutant component from PM2.5, airborne particles measuring less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, to PM10.”
• The average density of PM10 rose sharply starting μ Saturday, with the peak density reaching 1,000 mg per square meter around noon in western parts of downtown Beijing.
• The wort affected areas included Liaoning, Shandong and Hebei provinces, and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region as well as Tianjin Municipality in northern China, Henan province in central China, Sichuan province in SW  China, and Guangdong province on the South China Sea coast of the country.
  

Beijing Air Quality “Worse than SARS”

The poor air quality, according to a leading Chinese public health expert, is worse than SARS because nobody can escape it. Research suggests that air pollution can “raise the risk of cardio-respiratory death by 2 to 3 percent for every increase of 10 micrograms per cubic meter of pollutants.” Only 1 percent of China’s 560 million urban residents breathe air considered safe by the European Union, according to a 2007 World Bank study. A report released by China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection in November 2010 showed that “about a third of 113 cities failed to meet national air standards.” (http://chinadigitaltimes.net/2013/03/beijing-air-quality-worse-than-sars/)

China’s Soil Pollution: The “Silent Killer”

“About 40 percent of China’s agricultural land is irrigated with underground water, of which 90 percent is polluted, according to Liu Xin, a food and health expert and a member of an advisory body to parliament, who was quoted in the Southern Metropolitan Daily,” said a report.

Related Links

• Hazardous Smog Chokes Northern China  February 28, 2013
• Beijing Buried in Smog – Again! Posted on February 17, 2013
• Beijing Buried in Heavy Smog – Take 4 Posted on January 29, 2013
• Heavy Smog Entombs Beijing Again Posted on January 23, 2013
• Breathtaking Beijing  Posted on January 14, 2013
• Hazardous Air Warnings in Beijing as Landslide Kills Dozens in SW China  Posted on January 12, 2013

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March 10, 2013 – DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,098 Days Left 

Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,098 Days Left to ‘Worst Day’ in the brief Human  History
• The countdown began on May 15, 2011 …

GLOBAL WARNINGS

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID PLANETARY DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

Beijing Buried in Smog – Again!

Beijing and other Chinese provinces entombed in dense smog: Round 6

Chinese capital Beijing and many other large cities across the country were enveloped in dense smog Sunday for the 6th time in as many weeks.

Where are you going today? Dense smog chokes Neihuang County of Anyang City in central China’s Henan Province, Feb. 17, 2013. (Xinhua/Liu Xiaokun). Image may be subject to copyright. More images…

Hazardous smog again shrouded Beijing and neighboring provinces today, disrupting flights and halting highway traffic, officials said.

The visibility at Beijing Capital International Airport fell to 5 – 10 meters earlier today,  said a report.

The Beijing municipal traffic authorities were forced to shut down large sections of expressways linking to Kaifeng, Harbin, Shanghai and Tianjin.

Dense smog also enveloped the  provinces of Hebei, Henan, Shandong and Tianjin as well as NW China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in the south today.

“The air quality index reached 500, or extreme pollution, in five monitoring sites at 8 a.m. in Shijiazhuang, the provincial capital of Hebei,” said the report.

Recent Smog Links

• Dense Smog Continues Choking Much of China February 1, 2013
• Beijing Buried in Heavy Smog – Take 4 January 29, 2013
• Heavy Smog Entombs Beijing Again   January 23, 2013
• Breathtaking Beijing January 14, 2013
• Hazardous Air Warnings in Beijing as Landslide Kills Dozens in SW China January 12, 2013

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February 17, 2013 – DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,119 Days Left 

Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,119 Days Left to ‘Worst Day’ in the brief Human  History
• The countdown began on May 15, 2011 …

GLOBAL WARNINGS

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID PLANETARY DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

Dense Smog Continues Choking Much of China

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,135 Days Left 

[February 1, 2013] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,135 Days Left to the most Fateful Day in Human History
• Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011 …

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Global Disasters/ Significant Events

Entombed in smog:  Capital Beijing, 7 major cities and at least 6 populous provinces

Large parts of China major cities and populous provinces continued choking in hazardous smog, as air pollution warnings remained in effect on Thursday, said a report.

The worst affects areas are the capital Beijing, Tianjin municipality, Shijiazhuang, Jinan, Shanghai, Shenyang and Harbin cities, with heavy smog also reported in Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Liaoning and Jiangsu provinces.

• The visibility has dropped significantly, forcing the authorities to cancel flights and shut down expressways.
  

• “[China] is experiencing for the first time smog of such magnitude, spanning from the north all the way to the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta,” said vice president for Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences.

China Smog Links

• Beijing Buried in Heavy Smog – Take 4 January 29, 2013
• Heavy Smog Entombs Beijing Again   January 23, 2013
• Breathtaking Beijing January 14, 2013
• Hazardous Air Warnings in Beijing as Landslide Kills Dozens in SW China January 12, 2013

United States

Deadly storms move to U.S. Northeast

High wind generated by the 1,000-mile long storm system, stretching from New Orleans to Buffalo, cut power to hundreds of thousands of customers  in the northeast.

• Torrential rains have triggered flash floods in several areas throughout the northeast.

• Georgia declared a state of emergency in Bartow and Gordon counties, after an EF-3 tornado destroyed or damaged hundreds of homes, killing at least 1 person and injuring 17 others, some of them critically.
  • The worst affected town was southwestern Georgia town of Adairsville.

ADAIRSVILLE TORNADO

A SUPERCELL THUNDERSTORM THAT TRACKED ACROSS NORTHWEST BARTOW AND CENTRAL GORDON
COUNTIES FROM APPROXIMATELY 1115 AM TO 1155 AM ON WEDNESDAY… JANUARY 30 2013.

RATING:                 HIGH END EF-3 (136 TO 165 MPH)
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND:    160 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/:  21.8 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/:   900 YARDS
FATALITIES:             1
INJURIES:               17 /9 IN BARTOW…8 IN GORDON/ (NWS)

• Pulaski County declares state of emergency, evacuations ordered

NWS has confirmed the following tornadoes and straight-line winds in Kentucky:

• EF-1 tornado in Orange County at 1:47am
• EF-0 tornado in Meade County at 4:05am
• EF-0 tornado in Harrison County, IN and Jefferson County, KY at  4:17am
• EF-2 tornado in Warren County
• Tornado in Barren County
• EF-0 tornado in Marion County at 5:42am

Australia

Disaster declared in NSW

The Premier of NSW and the Prime Minister of Australia have jointly declared the council areas of Ballina, Bellingen, Byron, Clarence Valley, Coffs Harbour, Kyogle, Lismore, Nambucca, Richmond Valley, and Tweed as natural disaster areas.declare the council areas of Ballina, Bellingen, Byron, Clarence Valley, Coffs Harbour, Kyogle, Lismore, Nambucca, Richmond Valley, and Tweed as natural disaster areas due to losses and damage caused by flooding.

GLOBAL WARNINGS

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

Beijing Buried in Heavy Smog – Take 4

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,138 Days Left 

[January 29, 2013] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,138 Days Left to the most Fateful Day in Human History
• Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011 …

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Global Disasters/ Significant Events

Beijingers choking by ‘worst fog ever’

Round 4 of heavy smog in less than 4 weeks, described by Beijingers as the ‘worst fog ever,’ enveloped the Chinese capital on Monday, worsening on Tuesday, and severely affecting visibility in large portions of the city, Xinhua reported.

The pea soup fog reduced visibility in downtown Beijing to such extent that office workers could no longer see the building tops.

Putrid air has caused a surge in respiratory illnesses, especially among children and the elderly, the report said.

A pediatric hospital in downtown Beijing has treated a record 9,000 children this month, mostly flu, pneumonia, tracheitis, bronchitis and asthma patients.

Air quality in Beijing on Tuesday hit 517 on an index maintained by the U.S. Embassy in the Chinese capital, which described the pollution as “Beyond Index,” said Reuters.

• The choking smog enveloped several cities, covering a total area of 1.3 million square kilometers Tuesday, said the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP).
  

 

 

Related Links

• Heavy Smog Entombs Beijing Again   January 23, 2013
• Breathtaking Beijing January 14, 2013
• Hazardous Air Warnings in Beijing as Landslide Kills Dozens in SW China January 12, 2013

Egypt could collapse if political crisis continues

Egypt’s army chief warned today that the state could collapse should the current political turmoils continue.

• At least 60 people have been killed in the past 4 days as protesters across much of Egypt battle the police.
• “The continuation of the conflict between the different political forces and their differences over how the country should be run could lead to the collapse of the state and threaten future generations,” said the army chief, who is also the country’s defense minister.
• “The military is Egypt’s most powerful institution and was the de facto ruler since a 1952 coup by army officers seized power and later toppled the monarchy,” said a report.

• Hell would freeze over before Egyptians are allowed to have a functioning democracy!

Australian floods force evacuation of thousands in 2 states

• Burnett River burst its banks, flooding at least 2,000 homes in Bundaberg, Queensland.
  • The river was expected to peak above 9.6m, some 1.5m above the 2010 flood level.
  • “Those flood levels will be one of the highest levels recorded for the whole of the Bundaberg and Burnett region,” said Queensland Police Minister.
  • About 8,000 people have been displaced across the flooded city.

• The storm cell moved south triggering extreme rain in parts of New South Wales, prompting the forced evacuation of at least 2,500 residents in the city of Grafton, as rising water threatened the levees.

Related Links

• Final Eviction Notice to Australians? January 28, 2013

Heavy Smog Entombs Beijing Again

DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,144 Days Left 

[January 23, 2013] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,144 Days Left to the most Fateful Day in Human History
• Symbolic countdown to the ‘worst day’ in human history began on May 15, 2011 …

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Global Disasters/ Significant Events

 ‘Progress’ to absurdity: From the Great Wall to heavy smog

The air pollution in Beijing Municipality rose to hazardous levels again on Wednesday, as heavy smog blanketed the city.

• “At 3 p.m., air quality indices at most monitoring stations in the city proper ranged from 311 to 400, a serious level, according to statistics from the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center.” said a report.

Smog envelopes Beijing, the Chinese capital, January 22, 2013.  (Xinhua/Wang Shen). More images…

Beijing meteorological observatory issued a yellow alert for heavy fog on Tuesday.

Beijing: The Forbidden City was  shrouded on Jan. 23, 2013. “The air quality hit the level of serious pollution in Beijing on Wednesday, as smog blanketed the city. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)”.

Related Links

• Breathtaking Beijing January 14, 2013
• Hazardous Air Warnings in Beijing as Landslide Kills Dozens in SW China January 12, 2013

GLOBAL WARNINGS

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

Breathtaking Beijing

Earth dwellers fast running out of excuses!

Beijing’s PM2.5 particulate density exceed 900 micrograms per cubic meter over the weekend, nearly 40 times the World Health Organization’s “safe” daily limit, prompting the municipal government to issue a warning for air pollution.

• “Real-time monitoring data shows the air quality index was as high as 500 in most parts of the city, with some above 900. The smog is expected to last another three days, as weather conditions are preventing the pollutants from dispersing. The public are advised to stay indoors and to avoid strenuous exercise.” CNTV said.
  

• Beijing hospitals have reported increases of about 30% in the number of patients with respiratory problems in the past few days.

• Beijing has a minimum population of more than 20 million and at least 5.2 million vehicles.

Heavy smog shrouds Beijing for a 3rd day. Photo shows Central Business District in Beijing on January 13 as dense fog in  China’s east and central regions caused serious air pollution. The smog is expected to last until at least Wednesday. (Xinhua/Liu Changlong)

At least half of 74 Chinese cities monitored for air quality showed severe pollution over the weekend.

Related Links

• Hazardous Air Warnings in Beijing as Landslide Kills Dozens in SW China Posted January 12, 2013