The strongest dust storm in 10 years hit northern China on Monday, illustrating what conservation groups have called the “ecological crisis.”
Li Shuo, political director of Greenpeace China, told The New York Times that the storm, which caused hundreds of flights, was “the result of land and environmental degradation in northern and western Beijing.” Industrial pollutants in the vicinity of Beijing have so far exceeded the annual average for the past four years, he added.
“Beijing looks like an ecological crisis. After two weeks of smog and static air, the strong wind carries a sandstorm, sending [air quality index] off the chart, ”Li said.
Beijing looks like an ecological crisis. After two weeks of smog and static air, the strong wind blows a sandstorm, sending AQI off the chart. It’s hard to pretend we’re moving forward when you can’t see what’s in front of you. pic.twitter.com/m0wS5oYg6O
– Li Shuo_Greenpeace (@LiShuo_GP) March 15, 2021
The weather system had its genesis in a winter storm that passed through Mongolia, where it killed at least nine and destroyed power in several regions of the country. In northern China, the air has exceeded the levels of danger to airborne particles.
Air quality readings reached 999 months, averaging about 80 by most of 2020.
The Chinese weather bureau has issued a “yellow alert” for the storm. According to the NPR, the event spread from the northwestern provinces of Xinjiang and Gansu to the interior of Mongolia and Hebei Province. Overall, the storm affected 12 provinces and cities, NPR reported, citing state media.
The weather has been compared to the events of the “aeropocalypse” that hit the country in the past years before Chinese Communist Party leaders took steps to reduce pollution levels.
Beijing officials have imposed a house arrest order for children, the sick and the elderly, as the resulting smog has bleached the air. The effects are expected to persist at least Tuesday morning, according to the Times.
President Xi Jinping has said that a “green revolution” is needed in the country and that China will step up its efforts to reduce carbon emissions, but this goal has often run counter to accelerated economic development. Heavy pollution in recent days has been linked to increased steel and cement production, and China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment recently told local officials that four steel plants in Hebei Province have not adequately reduced emissions, according to the Times.