On paper, China’s “war” on air pollution is still underway. But with COVID-19 disrupting the first half of 2020, has air quality really improved? Smart Air analyzed PM2.5 data for 11 of China’s major cities to get to the bottom of it. The data showed average PM2.5 reduced 9% compared to the first half of […]
Tag: China
COVID-19 Lockdown Leads to PM2.5 Reductions in 11 Out of 12 of China’s Major Cities.
The lockdown caused by the COVID-19 epidemic saw the numbers of trucks and buses on the road reduce by 77% and 36%, respectively. Hundreds of factories were also closed for an extended period of time. Despite Smart Air analysis showing an increase in PM2.5 levels during February, there have been reports that over the period […]
How Many Trees Need to Be Planted to Help to Solve China’s Air Pollution?
Planting trees to solve China’s air pollution would be a very ineffective way. Let me break down the effect of trees into (1) sucking up particulate and (2) giving particles a place to land. 1. How Much Particulate Air Pollution Do Trees Suck Up? Let’s talk about the most commonly talked about pollutant: particulate pollution […]
How’s the Air Quality in Tangshan?
There are reasons to be pessimistic about the air quality in Tangshan. Tangshan is a largely industrial city in Hebei province, which is the industrial heartland of China and one of the most polluted provinces. Tangshan also boasts one of China’s top 10 busiest ports. To get some hard data on this question, […]
Is Beijing or Delhi Air Worse?
Beijing and Delhi often make headlines for air polluted cities, but which city has worse air? I wanted to get some hard numbers on how the two cities’ air quality compare. The Data To do that, I analyzed PM2.5 data from the US Embassies in Delhi and government monitors in Beijing from 2015 to […]
Is China to Blame for Seoul’s Air Pollution?
Air pollution is a serious problem in Seoul, which South Koreans have often blamed China for. Is that fact or a convenient scapegoat? After all, Seoul is a densely populated, developed city that depends on coal power plants. South Korea certainly has its own sources of pollution. To get to the bottom of it, I […]
Is China to Blame for Seoul’s Air Pollution? – Supplemental Data
This article includes supplemental data for the main article “Is China to blame for Seoul’s air pollution?” This supplemental data will show how high and low wind speeds affect the PM2.5 levels. Ultimately, this supplemental article draws the same conclusion as the main article. Does Wind Speed Affect PM2.5? What if particulate matter can […]
Providing Clean Air to One of China’s Biggest Retailers
We’ve shipped over 50,000 of our simple, effective, no-nonsense DIY air purifiers since launching. That’s a lot of clean air, for a fraction of the market average price. In 2017 we launched the Blast and Blast Mini purifiers, which pump out huge amounts of clean air at very low noise levels. The DIYs are great […]
This One Region in China Saw a Pollution Miracle in 2018
New analysis from Smart Air shows that China is making progress on its “war on air pollution.” PM2.5 air pollution was down in 14 out of China’s 15 largest cities. Yet one region saw far more progress than the rest. South Sees Modest Air Quality Gains In southern China, from Shanghai to Shenzhen, […]
China’s 15 Biggest Cities Saw Better Air in 2018 — Except This One
A new analysis of air quality from 15 of China’s largest cities shows that PM2.5 fell in all cities—except one. From Shenzhen to Xi’an, air pollution was down in 2018. Yet Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province, actually saw pollution rise 7%. With this increase, Zhengzhou now averages over 6 times the World Health […]
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