14 DAY TRIAL // Little over a week ago, temperatures in northern China plummeted. The result was that people living in this part of the world had to turn up whatever heating systems they had at their disposal.
Since most of these heating systems run on coal, it need not come as a surprise that, while trying to keep warm, people in northern China ended up releasing loads of fine particulate matter and smoke into the air.
Meanwhile, farmers started burning whatever agricultural waste and crop stubble they needed to get rid of, thus “helping” up local air pollution levels. The situation got so bad that many started talking about an “airpocalypse.”
The picture above was taken on October 21 by the Suomi NPP satellite, and it shows exactly how bad things got. I don't know about you, but I for one am quite happy that I don't live in that region.
Live Science tells us that, during this air pollution crisis, visibility dropped to less than 10 meters (roughly 30 feet).
It goes without saying that not only did people start having real trouble waving back at their neighbors across the street, but local traffic was also heavily affected.