Category Archives: Asia

Beijing air quality plummets after Lantern Festival fireworks

Heavy smog blanketed most areas in Beijing and air pollution readings surged after enthusiastic residents set off fireworks to celebrate the annual Lantern Festival, Xinhua reported on Monday. Readings of PM2.5, tiny airborne particles that can enter deep into the … Continue reading

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China acknowledges ‘cancer villages’

China’s environment ministry appears to have acknowledged the existence of so-called “cancer villages” after years of public speculation about the impact of pollution in certain areas. For years campaigners have said cancer rates in some villages near factories and polluted … Continue reading

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Chinese struggle through ‘airpocalypse’ smog

Hu Li’s heart sank when she realised that she could gauge how close she was to home by the colour of the air. Driving 140 kilometres from Tianjin City to Beijing last week, she held her breath as the chalky-white … Continue reading

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Air pollution fifth leading cause of death in India: Study

Air pollution is the fifth leading cause of death in India after high blood pressure, indoor air pollution, tobacco smoking and poor nutrition, with about 620,000 premature deaths occurring from air pollution-related diseases. Like China, India faces an unprecedented public … Continue reading

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Beijing’s air quality rated ‘hazardous’ as smog returns to eastern regions

Air quality in Beijing turned “hazardous” while pollution in Shanghai was rated unhealthy as hazy weather was forecast across eastern regions. Concentrations of PM2.5, fine air particulates that pose the greatest health risk, rose to 297 micrograms per cubic metre … Continue reading

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Managing mega-cities’ pollution levels

The pollution monitor on the roof of the US Embassy in Beijing was catapulted into the international spotlight as air pollution deteriorated in the Chinese capital in mid-January. The instrument broadcasts a Twitter bulletin each hour providing a record of … Continue reading

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Diesel-powered motor vehicles blamed for most of Philippines air pollution

More than 500,000 diesel-fueled jeepneys, buses, trucks and other vehicles in Metro Manila are responsible for about 70 percent of the total soot or black carbon emissions in the Philippines, according to Climate Change Commissioner Heherson Alvarez. In a speech … Continue reading

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Delhi chokes as air quality plummets

Residents of the Indian capital, who thought they had conquered air pollution a decade ago, are once again choking on exhaust fumes and dust and New Delhi has regained its status as one of the world’s dirtiest cities, according to … Continue reading

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