As world leaders -- China's included -- meet in Paris at the U.N. Climate Summit, Beijing has raised its air pollution alert to "orange" — the highest level reached so far this year.
Over the last few days a thick, grey fog has enveloped the Chinese capital, sending levels of particulate matter -- the unit of measuring air pollution -- into deeply hazardous territory. Levels of particulate matter 2.5, which can penetrate human lungs and cause respiratory ailments, heart attacks and other health impacts, peaked near 600 micrograms per cubic meter of air in the city. The World Health Organization standard for healthy air is just 25 micrograms per cubic meter.
China’s economic success is partially to blame for the uptick in pollution. Its growing cities have required more electricity, which has mostly come from coal, and as the average Chinese wage has risen, so too has the rate of automobile ownership. A report in August estimated that air pollution kills around 4,000 people a day there.
The country's air pollution woes have helped push the Chinese government to commit to expand the deployment of clean energy technologies such as wind and solar plants in the coming years. The government has also pledged to peak its greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2030, which means relying less on its coal-fired power plants.
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