We all know that China is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, so it makes sense that its biggest cities experience some of the worst smog on record. While it may be easy to ignore the effects of pollution on our planet, the finite nature of life on Earth becomes abundantly clear when you see what people in large cities have to deal with on a daily basis.
As officials from around the world convened to discuss climate change in Paris this month, a thick blanket of smog rendered much of Beijing invisible.
Tiananmen Square — which sits in the center of Beijing, China — attracts thousands of tourists each year because of its architectural beauty and historical significance.
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But earlier today, tourists and locals at the site had to put on masks to combat the effects of intense smog.
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Over the course of a few hours, the scene went from beautiful and bright to dark and dismal. Not long after that, strong winds swept the smog away again.
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Most alarmingly of all, the area was met with 25 times more smog than is acceptable by the World Health Organization. At its worst, the entire city was suffocated by pollutants.
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Chinese officials announced plans to combat atmospheric pollution and get a handle on emissions back in September, and those changes can’t possibly come soon enough.
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(via BuzzFeed)
Situations like this underscore the importance of climate summits like the one that just took place in Paris. The sad reality is that this phenomenon is completely man-made, and only human intervention can put a stop to the relentless damage it’s causing worldwide.