Parts Of China Shrouded In Dangerous Smog, Again

Thick smog in Beijing, China during the day Tuesday.

Over the past couple of days, Beijing, China has been shrouded in smog so thick that the World Health Organization says is 20 times above the level considered healthy.

It's interesting that the smog really peaked as the UN Climate Summit in Paris got really rolling.

The smog is caused by China's reliance on coal burning, and the fact that it has a big steel producing industry. That industry uses a zillion tons of coal to produce that product. The result is these terrible smog outbreaks.

When I bring up climate in terms of China's smog, I don't mean to suggest the smog itself directly contributes to global warming. The smog consists of particulates, which, in high doses as in China, can cause cancer and a host of respiratory illnesses, some fatal.

The smog gets thick when a temperature inversion forms. It's colder in the valleys around Beijing and other major cities than it is in the air a few thousand feet up. The warmer air up above forms a lid, preventing pollutants from blowing away. The pollution just sits and accumulates dangerously in the cities instead.

To combat the immediate problem, China has ordered schools closed, reduction in factory output and less driving untill the weather pattern changes and the smog dissipates some.

Some estimates suggest China's smog outbreaks are shortening life expentancy by five years. Tsignhua and Peking University studies indicate air pollution from coal consumption caused almost 700,000 deaths last year, Fortune reports.

As I mentioned, the smog isn't a direct contributor to global warming. However, the coal burning that is causing the smog DOES contribute to global warming, usually more so than oil or natural gas.

Fortune says China's environmental minister says that despite the smog, the country has achieved targets for reduing major pollutants. The government reported emissions of sulfur dioxide dropped by 13 percent from levels five years ago, and water pollution was down, too.

This isn't the first time smog has risen to extremely dangerous levels in China. There were repeated bouts of smog at this level last winter, and the smog has been increasing in China for decades.

Clearly, though, China has a lot more to do clear the air and save its citizens from potentially early deaths.