The heaviest yellow dust in five years hit South Korea on Monday,
driving the country's meteorological authorities to issue yellow dust
warnings and advisories.
As of 10 a.m. local time, yellow dust
warnings were in place in capital Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi Province and
part of Gangwon Province, according to the Korea Meteorological
Administration. Dust advisories were issued for most other parts of the
country.
China burns almost as much coal as the rest of the world combined,
the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) has reported. China’s
coal use is poised to continue rising, despite the country's rapidly
deteriorating environment, experts predicted. The latest EIA report revealed that China's coal consumption grew
more than 9 percent in 2011, continuing its upward trend for a 12th
consecutive year. Since 2000, the country has accounted for more than 80
percent of the global increase in coal use, the EIA reported. China
currently accounts for 47 percent of global coal consumption, nearly
totaling the rest of the world combined.
Air pollution in Beijing has reached dangerous levels for a third
day. On Sunday, the municipal government issued a warning on its website
for PM 2.5 readings.
Real-time monitoring data shows the air quality index was as high as
500 in most parts of the city, with some above 900. An AQI reading below
50 indicates excellent air quality; above 100 is light pollution.
Air pollution in the Chinese capital has hit dangerous marks,
reaching beyond the permissible level of pollution on the local
environmental center’s scale. Beijing residents are recommended to stay
indoors by local authorities. The Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center has reported
the rising of air-quality indices since Friday in many parts of the
city.
