![\"\"](\"\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/yearly-average-trend-en-1024x568.png\")
<\/p>\nBeijing and Delhi often hit the news as two of the most polluted cities in the world, with PM2.5 levels often soaring to tens of times the WHO annual limit (10\u00b5g\/m3). Smart Air plotted the PM2.5 data from the US Embassy in Delhi and the US Embassy in Beijing to compare how the air quality has been changing:<\/p>\n
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What’s amazing is that over the past 3 years Beijing’s air pollution levels have dropped by around 40% (from 80\u00b5g\/m3 in 2015 to 48\u00b5g\/m3 in 2018 YTD).<\/p>\n
On the other hand, Delhi’s pollution levels have continued to soar. In 2015 Delhi’s pollution levels were similar to those of Beijing (97\u00b5g\/m3). However since then, PM2.5 pollution levels have increased 1.65 times to a record 161\u00b5g\/m3 during the first 10 months of 2018. That’s more than 3 times more polluted than Beijing in 2018.<\/p>\n
![\"Delhi](\"\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/total-comparisonBeijing-Delhi-en-1024x777.png\")
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Check out this chart. It shows Beijing’s pollution levels by month over the past 4 years in blue (starting 2014) and Delhi’s over the past 3 years in green (starting 2015). We can see that during the summer months. Beijing and Delhi’s air pollution levels are roughly similar. Things change every winter, when Delhi’s PM2.5 levels shoot to an average of over 300\u00b5g\/m3. That’s 30 times the WHO level! During these months, crop burning from the north of India and adverse weather conditions mean air pollution sits over Delhi increasing the PM2.5 levels.<\/p>\n
According to data from the WHO, neither city is safe. Both cities are far above the WHO annual limit of 10\u00b5g\/m3. What’s more,\u00a0the more studies I read, the more I\u2019m convinced that there\u2019s no safe level for PM2.5 air quality levels. For example, scientists used statistics to best estimate of how many people\u00a0<\/span>die each year from air pollution<\/a>, at different levels of PM2.5 air pollution.<\/span><\/p>\n Take a look at the black line showing total worldwide deaths each year from air pollution. It goes up pretty fast. Even at 25 micrograms, it\u2019s up pretty high. Now here\u2019s where 2017\u2014Beijing\u2019s best year on record\u2014falls on that graph.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This is what all that air pollution facts mean to me: air pollution is waging war on our bodies, even if we don\u2019t have obvious symptoms, even if we\u2019re young and healthy, and even if it\u2019s at levels far below the ones that make the news. If you\u2019re in virtually\u00a0<\/span>any city in China<\/a>, or any city in India<\/a>, you\u2019re breathing air that is killing people and you need to protect yourself from this harmful air pollution.<\/span><\/p>\n Open data and transparency has shown that clean air doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg. There are simple, no-nonsense solutions you can pick up today to protect yourself from air pollution. Find out more in our clean air store<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Beijing and Delhi often hit the news as two of the most polluted cities in the world, with PM2.5 levels often soaring to tens of times the WHO annual limit (10\u00b5g\/m3). Smart Air plotted the PM2.5 data from the US Embassy in Delhi and the US Embassy in Beijing to … <\/p>\n![\"Statistics](\"\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/10.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Statistics](\"\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/11.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWhat can I do about it?<\/h3>\n