China Smog Emergency

http://news.yahoo.com/latest-china-smog-emergency-shuts-city-11-million-055104682.html

China has forced public areas to close down after a "smog emergency". All large cities shut down in Northern California including Beijing. Schools were forced to suspend classes and airports to close. According to the article:

An index measuring PM2.5, or particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5), reached a reading of 1,000 in some parts of Harbin, the gritty capital of northeastern Heilongjiang province and home to some 11 million people.A level above 300 is considered hazardous, while the World Health Organisation recommends a daily level of no more than 20.

 The Chinese government has announced plans over the years to tackle this issue, but very little has been done to actually fix the problem.

I have actually been to Beijing recently and the smog is ridiculous. You can barely see the building in front of you and it seems like it is constantly foggy. The air is thick, and unlike california, extremely humid. In California, when it is foggy, it is typically a cold, crisp air, but in China it is extremely thick and warm. Gross.

Here are some photos I took on my trip:

This is Shanghai. That "fog" is actually smog and you cant even see Shanghai's skyline in the background.

This is the site of the Olympic Stadium in Beijing. You cant even see the rest of the city in the background because the smog is so thick.

The following are also photos from Beijing:

This photo was taken from the Great Wall of China just outside of Beijing with the city skyline in the distance.

This is the Great Wall of China. The air was extremely thick and HOT. Hiking this wall was not an easy feat. 

Here is me, my brother and my dad struggling to climb the wall while my mom snaps a photo :) notice how steep the steps actually are!