China's “Blackest Day” Is Still In The Future

Wolf Richter   www.testosteronepit.com   www.amazon.com/author/wolfrichter China has tried over the years to come to grips with its pandemic pollution, yet in Beijing, through a combination of factors, it reached catastrophic levels in mid-January and set another record. Result of the white-hot pace of economic growth. And of coal consumption. The “Blackest Day,” is how The Economist called January 12 when the Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 755. It was “Beyond index” on a scale where the worst level, “Hazardous,” ranges from 301-500 and carries this warning: “Everyone should avoid all physical activity outdoors; people with heart or lung disease, older adults, and children should remain indoors and keep activity levels low.” On that day, airborne particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM 2.5) reached 8...