Clearing China’s smog with artificial rain

[ScienceRocks]

Clearing China’s smog with artificial rain

China is notorious for smog emergencies, thanks to its severe air pollution. Smog has done everything from grounding planes at major airports to closing schools across the country. China’s smog is so dense that it’s even crept over to Japan and across other parts of Asia. Although the country is working on putting measures into place to combat pollution, China still needs a more immediate solution for clearing up the heavy smog. This is why the country is putting its hopes on artificial rain, according to the China Meteorological Administration.

Clearing China?s smog with artificial rain | DVICE

 

[Sallow]

Eyah..

You can't make this stuff up!

 

[TakeAStepBack]

silver iodide is toxic. terrible idea...

 

[Sallow]

Hey China!

No starch on the skies..please.

I'll be by Thursday to pick it up!

 

[ScienceRocks]

Time to cap the coal plants....

Hopefully they replace it with wind and solar.

 

[waltky]

Nice panoply of smog masks...

Beijingers make fashion statements with masks in the smog
Dec 8,`15 -- Episodes of nauseating smog lasting several days have become part of wintertime in the Chinese capital, and for many Beijing residents face masks have become a routine cold-weather accessory, along with hats and gloves.

Despite efforts to improve the air, levels of contamination a dozen times the World Health Organization safe level are not unusual, and the city issued a red alert for smog this week, keeping schools closed and half the vehicles off the streets.

Not content with just the industrial white variety of mask, many Beijingers make a fashion statement while filtering out the pollution. Masks with patterns, textures, logos, messages and cutesy animals bring some color to the gray haze.

News from The Associated Press

See also:

Images before and after a veil of smog settles over Beijing, China
Monday, Dec. 07, 2015 - In this series images, landmarks in Beijing, China are pictured in heavy pollution and again 24 hours later after a strong north wind blew away the smog. China's capital issued its first ever "red alert" for pollution Monday, as the city government warned that Beijing would be shrouded in heavy smog.

Tiananmen Square is seen in heavy pollution.​

Tiananmen Square is seen 24 hours later under a clear sky.​

MORE

Related:

Beijing schools close as some residents take smog holiday
8 Dec.`15 — Some residents took a smog holiday away from Beijing on Tuesday as the Chinese capital launched restrictions under its first red alert for pollution, closing schools, suspending factories and keeping half the vehicles off the streets.

Although Beijing has in recent years seen smog at much worse levels than Tuesday's, the latest bout of pollution was the first to trigger a red alert under a 2-year-old system that requires a forecast at the outset of at least 72 hours of consecutive high pollution. The capital's hazardous smog has persisted despite the Chinese government's stated priority of cleaning up the legacy of pollution left from years of full-tilt economic growth. Most of the smog is blamed on coal-fired power plants, along with vehicle emissions, construction and factory work. "This is modern life for Beijing people. We wanted to develop, and now we pay the price," Beijing office worker Cao Yong said during a break from work.

A woman uses a scarf to cover her face from pollutants as she walks out of an underpass tunnel on a polluted day in Beijing, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015. Schools closed and rush-hour roads were much quieter than normal as Beijing’s first-ever red alert for smog took effect Tuesday, closing many factories and invoking restrictions to keep half the city’s vehicles off the roads.​

A grey soupy haze subsumed Beijing's unique landmarks, convenience stores sold air-filtering masks at brisk rates and health-food stores promoted pear juice as a traditional Chinese tonic for the lungs. "And air purifiers at home are a must," Beijing resident Sun Yuanyuan said at a downtown Beijing juice shop. Under restrictions in effect Tuesday through Thursday, schools were urged to close voluntarily unless they had good air filtration. However, Beijing's education commission later followed up with a separate order for schools to close during the three-day alert. Some residents grumbled about the inconvenience, and a few international schools sought permission to reopen Wednesday.

People wearing masks to protect themselves from pollutants walk along a street on a polluted day in Beijing, Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015. Schools closed and rush-hour roads were much quieter than normal as Beijing’s first-ever red alert for smog took effect Tuesday, closing many factories and invoking restrictions to keep half the city’s vehicles off the roads.​

A slew of Beijingers said via social media they planned to escape the gloom. They needed to travel relatively far, however, because nearly all of China's northeast was affected, and many cities — including nearby Shijiazhuang — were even worse than Beijing. After hearing of the school closings late Monday, Beijing mother Jiang Xia booked tickets for a 3,200 kilometer (2,000-mile) flight to the relatively clean southwestern city of Kunming, for herself and her 8-year-old daughter who she said suffers nosebleeds in the smog. She said in an interview from Kunming that they hectically packed before dawn Tuesday for their flight. "But when we arrived in Kunming and breathed in this clean, fresh air, I was very glad I made this move — a very wise decision," Jiang said. Readings of PM2.5 particles climbed above 300 micrograms per cubic meter in some parts of the city Tuesday and were expected to continue rising before improving Thursday. The World Health Organization designates the safe level for the tiny, poisonous particles at 25.

MORE

 

[skookerasbil]

Time to cap the coal plants....

Hopefully they replace it with wind and solar.

Oh Gawd

 

[waltky]

Electric cars add to smog?...

Electric car surge adds to fears over smog in China
Fri, Jan 29, 2016 - Automakers’ latest projections for rapid growth of China’s “green” car market have added to concerns of worsening smog as the uptake of electric vehicles powered by coal-fired grids races ahead of a switch to sources of cleaner energy.

Volkswagen AG plans 15 “new-energy” models over three to five years, its China chief told a “green car” conference in Beijing on Saturday last week, predicting — like the Chinese government has — that the nation’s production of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles would grow almost six times to 2 million annually by 2020. At the same event, BYD Co’s chairman told reporters that the Chinese automaker’s sales of electric vehicles would double in each of the next three years. The government has been promoting electric vehicles to cut the smog that frequently envelops Chinese cities, helping sales quadruple last year and making China the biggest market, Chinese Minister of Finance Lou Jiwei said at the conference.

Less than 1 percent of passenger cars are now “new energy,” but the pace of growth raises their potential to worsen smog. A series of studies by Tsinghua University, whose alumni includes Chinese President Xi Jinping, showed that electric vehicles charged in China produce two to five times as much particulate matter and chemicals that contribute to smog versus gasoline cars. Hybrid vehicles fare little better. “International experience shows that cleaning up the air doesn’t need to rely on electric vehicles,” said An Feng, director of the Los Angeles-based Innovation Center for Energy and Transportation. “Clean up the power plants.”

China plans to convert the grid to renewable fuel or clean-coal tech as part of efforts to cut carbon emissions by 60 percent by 2020. That will speed the “green impact” of electric vehicles, Tsinghua University professor of environmental science Huo Hong said. However, that goal will be “really difficult to achieve,” he said. Tsinghua’s studies question the wisdom of aggressively promoting vehicles that the university said could not be considered environmentally friendly for at least a decade in many areas of China unless grid reform accelerates.

MORE

 

[waltky]

Smog so thick it's like pea soup...

Smog chokes China, flights grounded
Wed, Dec 21, 2016 - Thick, gray smog fell over Beijing yesterday, choking China’s capital in a haze that spurred authorities to cancel flights and close some highways in emergency measures to cut down on air pollution.

Beijing and much of industrial northern China are in the middle of a “red alert,” the highest level in China’s four-tiered pollution warning system. The alert affected 460 million people, according to Greenpeace East Asia, which calculated that about 200 million people were living in areas that had experienced levels of air pollution more than 10 times above the guideline set by the WHO. Members of the public closely watch levels of PM2.5, particles measuring 2.5 micrometers across that are easily inhaled and damage lung tissue. The WHO designates the safe level for the tiny particles at 25 micrograms per cubic meter. Yesterday morning, the PM2.5 reading in Beijing climbed above 300. In many northern Chinese cities, the reading has exceeded 500 micrograms per cubic meter.

State media reported that 169 flights were canceled at Beijing Capital International Airport, where visibility at one point fell to 300m. Sections of Beijing’s sixth ring road, the outermost highway encircling the city of more than 20 million people, were shut down in a bid to keep cars off the roads. Authorities have even removed charcoal grills from restaurants and banned spray painting in parts of the city, state media reported.

China has long faced some of the worst air pollution in the world, blamed on its reliance on coal for energy and factory production, as well as a surplus of older, less efficient cars on its roads. Beijing and other cities have tried to improve air quality by switching power plants from coal to natural gas and rolling out fleets of electric buses and taxis. However, despite its public commitment to reduce carbon emissions, China remains the world’s largest producer and consumer of coal, with plans to build new factories and increase production. Government officials, facing rising energy prices earlier this year, lifted caps on production days for many mines. Since the red alert went into effect, more than 700 companies stopped production in Beijing and traffic police were restricting drivers by monitoring their license plate numbers. Dozens of cities closed schools and took other emergency measures.

“The smog has serious repercussions on the lungs and the respiratory system, and it also influences the health of future generations, so under a red alert, it is safer to stay at home rather than go to school,” said Li Jingren, a 15-year-old high school student in Beijing, on Monday. In nearby Tianjin, authorities canceled 350 flights and closed all highways in the municipality. Public transportation services were increased as restrictions on cars were imposed. Authorities in Hebei Province ordered coal and cement plants to temporarily shut down or reduce production. Elsewhere, hospitals prepared teams of doctors to handle an expected surge in cases of pollution-related illnesses.

MORE

 

[waltky]

Is not only cold in Mongolia, but smoggy too...

Despite frigid weather, Mongolians protest worsening smog
December 26, 2016 — Hundreds of Mongolians braved frigid weather Monday to stage a protest in the country's capital demanding that the government do more to address worsening air pollution that they fear is sickening their children and shortening their lives.

The demonstrators gathered in a public square in front of government offices, holding banners with slogans such as "Let's give fresh air to our future children," ''Smog is silent killer" and "We can't breathe." "We are desperate and we are organizing this demonstration to make authorities feel our frustration and anger," said Purevkhuu Tserendorj, one of the protest's organizers and a mother of two. The air temperature hovered around minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 Fahrenheit). According to UNICEF, the United Nations' children's agency, air pollution is linked to the three diseases that have resulted in the most "lost life-years" in Mongolia.

The agency said in February that pneumonia and other respiratory infections were among the leading causes of death among Mongolian children under the age of 5. It said that the lungs of children living in highly polluted districts of Ulaanbaatar, the capital, do not function as well as those living in rural areas, with real risks of them suffering chronic respiratory diseases when they're older. The protesters demanded that the government increase the number of beds in hospitals that have been overcrowded with sick children and develop a plan to reduce air pollution by 80 percent by 2018. They also urged the government to install air filters in kindergartens in the capital's slum areas, which are worst-hit by the pollution.

Ulaanbaatar is one of the world's coldest capitals, with temperatures sometimes falling to -40 C (-40 F) in January, the coldest month of the year. More than half of the city's 1.3 million residents have to rely on burning raw coal, plastic, rubber tires and other materials to stay warm and cook meals in their homes. Such areas, where residents live in traditional round tents that do not have centralized heating, have been shrouded in choking smog in recent days. Responding to the protesters' calls, Mongolian Minister of Environment and Tourism Oyunkhorol Dulamsuren said that between 2011 and 2015, the government spent more than $37 million while international donors spent $47 million on measures aimed at curbing air pollution.

Despite frigid weather, Mongolians protest worsening smog

 

[Old Rocks]

A very interesting sidelight to this, is if the Asians succeed in replacing the coal generation with non-polluting generation, we will see a very rapid increase in global warming as the aerosols disappear.

 

[waltky]

China vows crackdown on smog emissions...

China promises stronger air pollution response after thick smog
Jan. 7, 2017 -- Chinese officials said they are working to improve municipal responses to severe air pollution in the wake of several days of choking smog hanging over Beijing.

The Chinese government has thus far declined to declare a red alert, the highest level of environmental alerts under the nation's four-tiered system. Doing so would empower government officials to implement an even-odd system for vehicle use, as well as shutter pollution-producing factories until air quality improved.

Instead, an orange alert has remained in place in Beijing and surrounding areas, which only warns citizens who could be affected to limit exposure to the outdoors.

Responding to the controversy, officials said they are undertaking a review of the environmental pollution measurement and response plans in 20 of China's largest cities. The government promised it would ensure proper testing is taking place, and that steps are created to respond when air quality becomes especially problematic.

The recent surge in smog is partially attributed to increased industrial production in the weeks leading up to the Chinese New Year, when factories must close so workers can return to rural villages to be with their families. Increased reliance on coal as a heating fuel in winter is also contributing to the problem.

China promises stronger air pollution response after thick smog

 

[frigidweirdo]

Clearing China’s smog with artificial rain

China is notorious for smog emergencies, thanks to its severe air pollution. Smog has done everything from grounding planes at major airports to closing schools across the country. China’s smog is so dense that it’s even crept over to Japan and across other parts of Asia. Although the country is working on putting measures into place to combat pollution, China still needs a more immediate solution for clearing up the heavy smog. This is why the country is putting its hopes on artificial rain, according to the China Meteorological Administration.

Clearing China?s smog with artificial rain | DVICE

And Trump wants the industries that pollute in China to go back to the US, wonderful.

 

[frigidweirdo]

China vows crackdown on smog emissions...

China promises stronger air pollution response after thick smog
Jan. 7, 2017 -- Chinese officials said they are working to improve municipal responses to severe air pollution in the wake of several days of choking smog hanging over Beijing.

The Chinese government has thus far declined to declare a red alert, the highest level of environmental alerts under the nation's four-tiered system. Doing so would empower government officials to implement an even-odd system for vehicle use, as well as shutter pollution-producing factories until air quality improved.

Instead, an orange alert has remained in place in Beijing and surrounding areas, which only warns citizens who could be affected to limit exposure to the outdoors.

Responding to the controversy, officials said they are undertaking a review of the environmental pollution measurement and response plans in 20 of China's largest cities. The government promised it would ensure proper testing is taking place, and that steps are created to respond when air quality becomes especially problematic.

The recent surge in smog is partially attributed to increased industrial production in the weeks leading up to the Chinese New Year, when factories must close so workers can return to rural villages to be with their families. Increased reliance on coal as a heating fuel in winter is also contributing to the problem.

China promises stronger air pollution response after thick smog

Funny how they on;y give a damn when it's Beijing that get smog polluted. Half the country has been affected, but they only care about the capital.

 

[petro]

They should buy some carbon credits from Al Gore. Problem solved.

 

[Crick]

Clearing China’s smog with artificial rain

China is notorious for smog emergencies, thanks to its severe air pollution. Smog has done everything from grounding planes at major airports to closing schools across the country. China’s smog is so dense that it’s even crept over to Japan and across other parts of Asia. Although the country is working on putting measures into place to combat pollution, China still needs a more immediate solution for clearing up the heavy smog. This is why the country is putting its hopes on artificial rain, according to the China Meteorological Administration.

Clearing China?s smog with artificial rain | DVICE

And Trump wants the industries that pollute in China to go back to the US, wonderful.

Raining out the smog will decrease the pH of their ground water and they'll see biological effects as well as increased erosion. No biggy. I doubt they have a lot of natural biota under the smog umbrella and they already seem content with massive flooding problems every year.

 

[frigidweirdo]

Clearing China’s smog with artificial rain

China is notorious for smog emergencies, thanks to its severe air pollution. Smog has done everything from grounding planes at major airports to closing schools across the country. China’s smog is so dense that it’s even crept over to Japan and across other parts of Asia. Although the country is working on putting measures into place to combat pollution, China still needs a more immediate solution for clearing up the heavy smog. This is why the country is putting its hopes on artificial rain, according to the China Meteorological Administration.

Clearing China?s smog with artificial rain | DVICE

And Trump wants the industries that pollute in China to go back to the US, wonderful.

Raining out the smog will decrease the pH of their ground water and they'll see biological effects as well as increased erosion. No biggy. I doubt they have a lot of natural biota under the smog umbrella and they already seem content with massive flooding problems every year.

Well, at least they have a govt that cares and is willing to do stuff about the long term. Yes it's bad. I read about Beijing on the BBC, they blamed dusty roads and BBQs. Come off it, it's massive factories pumping out god knows what. When they force them to shut down, the pollution levels go down massively.