China’s pollution crisis
(AP): Thick, gray smog fell over Beijing on Tuesday, 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.
- Pedestrians wear masks on a polluted day in Beijing on December 20, 2016. Heavy smog suffocated northeast China for a fifth day on December 20, with hundreds of flights cancelled and road and rail transport grinding to a halt under the low visibility conditions. (AFP PHOTO / Greg Baker)
- An elderly man wearing a mask exercises at a park in Beijing on December 20, 2016. Heavy smog suffocated northeast China for a fifth day on December 20, with hundreds of flights cancelled and road and rail transport grinding to a halt under the low visibility conditions. (AFP PHOTO / WANG ZHAO)
- Pedestrians wear masks on a polluted day in Beijing on December 20, 2016. Heavy smog suffocated northeast China for a fifth day on December 20, with hundreds of flights cancelled and road and rail transport grinding to a halt under the low visibility conditions. (AFP PHOTO/ Greg Baker)
- An elderly men wearing a mask walks through an arch at a the Temple of Heaven park in Beijing on December 20, 2016. Heavy smog suffocated northeast China for a fifth day on December 20, with hundreds of flights cancelled and road and rail transport grinding to a halt under the low visibility conditions. (AFP PHOTO / WANG ZHAO)
- A man wearing a mask rides an escalator to cross an overpass in Beijing on December 19, 2016. Hospital visits spiked, roads were closed and flights cancelled on December 19 as China choked under a vast cloud of toxic smog, with forecasters warning the worse was yet to come. (AFP PHOTO / WANG ZHAO)
- A man wearing a mask visits a park amid heavy air pollution in Beijing on December 20, 2016. Beijing issued its first air pollution red alert for 2016 on December 15, with choking smog expected to cover the city and surrounding areas in north China until December 21. (AFP PHOTO / WANG ZHAO)
- An elderly man walks in front of a group of people during heavy smog at a the Temple of Heaven park in Beijing on December 20, 2016. Heavy smog suffocated northeast China for a fifth day on December 20, with hundreds of flights cancelled and road and rail transport grinding to a halt under the low visibility conditions. (AFP PHOTO/WANG ZHAO)
- A man places his hand over his mouth as he walks past graffiti of a dragon on a street in Beijing, China, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016. Thick, gray smog fell over Beijing on Tuesday, 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. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
- Chinese people wearing masks for protection against pollution walk at Ritan Park shrouded by heavy smog in Beijing, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. Chinese cities are limiting the number of cars on roads and have temporarily shut down factories to cut down pollution during a national “red alert” for smog. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
- Parents with their children wait at a holding room of a children hospital in Beijing, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016. A smog-shrouded Chinese city canceled airline flights Sunday due to poor visibility and many parents took children to hospitals on the second day of a pollution alert across the country’s north. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
- A man wearing a mask for protection against air pollution walks across a road in Beijing as the capital of China is shrouded by heavy smog on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016. Thick, gray smog fell over Beijing on Tuesday, clouding 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. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
- Chinese women wearing masks for protection against air pollution walk through Ritan Park shrouded by dense smog in Beijing, Monday, Dec. 19, 2016. Chinese cities are limiting the number of cars on roads and have temporarily shut down factories to cut down pollution during a national “red alert” for smog. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
- Women wearing protection masks walk across a road in Beijing as the capital of China is shrouded by heavy smog on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016. Thick, gray smog fell over Beijing on Tuesday, clouding 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. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
- A woman uses a scarf to cover her for protection against air pollution walks on street in Beijing as the capital of China is shrouded by heavy smog on Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016. Thick, gray smog fell over Beijing on Tuesday, 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. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)