Shocking Before and After Photos Reveal Just How Bad Beijing’s Smog Is

It must have been a terrible week for residents of Beijing as the city’s skies have again become darkened

Indeed, the air pollution in the city and other neighboring areas increased earlier this week prompting Beijing to issue another yellow alert. The elderly and young residents were once again advised to stay indoors as the air quality deteriorates with alarming increases in PM2.5 levels.

Beijing air pollution is real people! 🌫😷 The most dangerous air particle is known as PM2.5. Cities in Europe and the US have average PM2.5 readings of less than 50, which is the level deemed ‘good’ by the Environmental Protection Agency. To put it in perspective, the PM2.5 reading here today is 274, and levels can get as high 700 😳 I’ve been pretty lucky since I got here but the sad truth is that between April 2008 – March 2014, Beijing experienced just 25 ‘good’ days 😷😷 #smogcity #airpocalypse

A post shared by James (@thescousenomad) on Feb 14, 2017 at 7:12pm PST

Tourists who are visiting Beijing may also want to heed the warning as tourist spots have once again become invisible due to the smoggy air, Shanghaiist reported.

Beijing AQI at 285. One out of four premature deaths globally caused by #airpollution in 2015 occurred in China. #beijingsmog 此时此地，空气质量指数285。

A post shared by Tom Wang (@tomwxj) on Feb 15, 2017 at 1:49am PST

To provide a glimpse into the stark difference of how the city’s most famous tourist spots looked like before and after the thick cloud of pollutants arrived on Wednesday and Thursday, comparison photos have emerged online.

More than five million motor vehicles in the city, plus extensive coal burning in nearby regions, have been cited as the primary sources of pollutants in Beijing. While the Chinese capital has suffered from serious air pollution for years, it has so far failed to effectively address the dilemma.

Share this Article