Thick fog chokes the capital, Beijing, and the Chinese authorities warn

Arab weather - Thick smog covered large areas of northern China on Friday, and reduced visibility in some areas to less than 200 meters with the disappearance of the upper part of the buildings in the city, as severe pollution swept the Chinese capital, and caused the closure of some highways.

Earlier on Thursday, Beijing issued its first severe pollution alert for autumn and winter, requiring the suspension of some construction work and outdoor school activities, as the Beijing-Tianjin region often suffers from thick smog in autumn and winter, especially on days when it is The wind is still.

Authorities in Beijing blamed the pollution on a combination of "unfavorable weather conditions and regional pollution."

This pollution comes in China as the world's largest exporter of greenhouse gases, the gases responsible for climate change and resulting from the combustion of fossil fuels, as China generates about 60% of its energy from burning coal, and China has now increased its production of coal to alleviate the energy shortage that Factories have been forced to close in recent months.

The absence of the Chinese president from personally attending the climate summit

China now faces scrutiny of its environmental record in international climate talks, as world leaders gathered in Glasgow, Scotland this week for the Parties' Climate Negotiations (COP26), which have been described as one of the last opportunities to avert catastrophic climate change , despite the Chinese president's absence from the conference. He only gave a written speech instead of attending in person.

In his statement, the Chinese president urged developed countries to provide more climate change support to developing countries, but stopped short of making any significant new commitments from China.

Beijing has already pledged to peak carbon dioxide emissions from heating the planet by 2030 and reduce them to net zero by 2060.

On Wednesday, China responded to Joe Biden's criticism, saying "actions speak louder than words" after the US president accused Beijing of not showing responsibility to combat climate change.

Air pollution in China

Like many places in China with rapid industrial development, Beijing is no stranger to air pollution — although bouts of severe smog have become less frequent in recent years as authorities increasingly prioritize environmental protection.

China's environment ministry said last month that China aims to reduce concentrations of small airborne particles known as "PM2.5" by an average of 4% year-on-year in major cities this winter.

PM2.5 in urban areas reached as high as 234 micrograms per cubic meter on Friday, indicating extremely unhealthy air.

The ministry said in September that China's comprehensive winter 2021-2022 campaign against pollution will include 64 cities across the smog-prone industrial north.

It is noteworthy that China is scheduled to host the Winter Olympics in Beijing and Zhangjiakou on February 4-20.