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hankwang writes:
"For the past couple of days, China's capital has been suffering under severe smog, leaving the sun and skyscrapers barely visible. The highest concentration of small airborne particles (PM2.5) was 0.50 mg per cubic meter, a factor 20 above the Word Health Organization's safe limit. Scientists went as far as comparing this to a nuclear winter. The worst seems to be over for now: today, the monitors are reading 0.180 mg/m3, only a factor 7 above the WHO limit.
The Chinese smog seems to behave differently from the smog in Europe and the US. Existing scientific models developed in the West do not work well. To improve the models and understanding, plans are underway to build a 600 cubic-meter (that's 21,000 cubic ft or 160,000 US gallon) transparent dome as a smog chamber."
[NOTE TO EDITOR: I can't get slashcode to display the mu symbol, so I converted to milligrams] [Ed's Note: Thankyou - but what is it in firkins?]
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Angry Jesus on Monday March 03 2014, @12:28AM
I have to wonder if that's really true or just Beijing trying to save face. The west has been harping on the smog problem for years and it just keeps getting worse.
You might think that sounds over the top and jingoistic, but look at what Beijing has already said about the matter:
Smog is China's top defence against US laser weapons, says PLA Navy admiral [scmp.com]
Smog can hinder enemy missile guidance systems [scmp.com]
It is illegal for the US embassy in Beijing to publish their pollution level readings [nbcnews.com]
Smog promotes equality and improves chinese minds [telegraph.co.uk]
I've heard it suggested that the last one was intended as satire. I can't really tell since I can't read chinese. But satire or not, thousands of weibo users took it as straight-up propaganda.
(Score: 3, Informative) by regift_of_the_gods on Monday March 03 2014, @12:39AM
The first two from SCMP seemed to be rather critical reporting of nationalist excuses for smog. Apparently pollution is the one issue for which people are allowed to criticize the government and the party - it would be ridiculous for them to claim that the problem is overstated.
(Score: 0, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 03 2014, @01:44AM
TFA is about smog in Beijing and your attempt to turn this into an anti-China rant won't get you any additional brownie point.
The first two links were from SCMP. SCMP stands for South China Morning Post, which is based in Hong Kong, and owned and operated by some fella who was from a South East Asian country which is very rabidly anti-Chinese.
A glance on SCMP and you would see the slant towards anti-CCP.
Your third link is from UK - a country which, for the past 5 decades has been actively persuading India to go to war against China.
As for your fourth link - it was dated 2012.
What is your point ?
You want to talk about SMOG, talk about SMOG. Why do you want to mix in your anti-China rant on that ?
Are you trying to turn this site into that other side where politics bring in 400+ argumentative comments ?
(Score: 1) by iNaya on Monday March 03 2014, @02:02AM
There is a difference between being anti-Chinese, and being anti-leadership, or even anti on a particular topic. Please do not confuse the this. I'm sure the people who actually live in Beijing have much worse things to say about their local government than any of those linked articles do. After all, nobody likes to live in heavy pollution.
The Chinese government, is very adept at many things. Despite some setbacks, they have built one of the best transport systems in the world. In recent years, they've done an amazing job of preventing their economy of boiling over, and people for the most part are well fed. More than certain Western countries can say. However, pollution control is not one of their strengths. Why would you want to defend this?
Your government is not an object of worship! Is is a group of individual, normal people. Some power hungry, some meek, some wanting to make a difference, and some wanting to make a buck.
The fact that Chinese people often get very offended when they feel criticized when something goes wrong in China means they (the particular people who get defensive) have a high level of insecurity. There is no need to be ashamed when foreigners see your problems! We all have problems of some kind.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Angry Jesus on Monday March 03 2014, @02:12AM
> You want to talk about SMOG, talk about SMOG.
Ok, let's talk about SMOG. What is the basis for the unsupported claim in TFA that western smog models are not applicable to chinese smog?
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 03 2014, @06:15AM
No, the grandparent is on topic, unlike you who seem like an apologist or a shill.
What was your point here? Is two years a long time in the history of China? If you don't have a reasonable argument, don't bring it up. It only serves to weaken your position.
If you want to see smog as a purely technical problem, that's fine be as naive as you wish. But allow others to express their thoughts then as well.