How China cut its pollution — sort of,
In the two-week run-up to this month’s massive military parade in Beijing, the Chinese capital’s notoriously polluted sky was azure. Then, less than 24 hours later, noxious smog once again covered the city.
73.2%
Drop in airborne fine particulate matter compared with the same period in 2014
17
Beijing’s air quality index (out of 500) on the day of the parade
160
The air quality index the next day, a level at which people can become sick
12,255
Coal-burning boilers, factories and cement-mixing stations shuttered in advance of the parade
15
Anti-pollution efforts were reportedly 15 times more extensive than during last fall’s Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation summit