Rare smog spike hits Beijing after years of pollution clean-up
BEIJING, Dec 18: Beijing was engulfed in heavy smog on Thursday, with its Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching “very unhealthy” levels of 215, marking a rare spike in pollution after years of sustained environmental improvements.
China’s national observatory had issued a yellow alert for dense fog in parts of Hebei, Beijing, Tianjin, Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Hubei, the Sichuan Basin, and Chongqing.
The resurgence of smog is notable given Beijing’s successful pollution reduction over the past decade, driven by costly government measures, including the closure and relocation of heavy polluting industries in 2016 and switching public heating from coal to natural gas or electric systems at a cost exceeding USD 1 billion.
These efforts led to a significant improvement in air quality, with the city reporting an average PM2.5 concentration of 26.5 micrograms per cubic metre over the first 11 months of 2025, a 16.7% year-on-year decline, and 282 days of good air quality, 23 more than the previous year.
Beijing has also promoted new energy vehicles, implemented construction emissions reductions, and supported green transformation in businesses.
The reduction of pollution has benefited local biodiversity, with migratory populations of Beijing swifts exceeding 10,000 and sightings of rare birds, including red-crowned cranes and white-naped cranes, at Miyun Reservoir.
The recent smog has sparked comparisons with Delhi’s ongoing pollution crisis. Observers note similarities in sources, such as transport and industrial emissions, but also key differences: Delhi faces multi-source, structural pollution driven by agriculture (notably stubble burning), dust, transport, and informal industries, whereas Beijing’s historic pollution stemmed mainly from coal-fired power plants, heavy industry, and automobiles.
Researchers at Tsinghua University attribute Beijing’s improvement to strict enforcement of industrial emissions standards, a strategy critics argue may be difficult to replicate in multi-party democracies like India, given judicial and stakeholder constraints.
Despite Thursday’s smog, Beijing’s decade-long measures highlight the potential impact of sustained, high-cost pollution control policies. (AP)
