Two scientists disagree on the cause of smog in China's capital
Cars or Coals? Image: michael davis-burch |
After one of the most stifling and polluted winters on record, native Beijingers are keen to address the main drivers behind the high PM2.5 particle levels in the atmosphere.
However, the question of whether it is coals or cars causing the problem is leading to tension amongst academics.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS China’s top research body, released a study on December 30th claiming that motor vehicle emissions comprised less than 4% of the PM2.5 count in Beijing, pointing to the burning of fossil fuels as the largest sole contributor to the smog.
Within the same day however, Pa Tao - president of the Beijing Municipal Research Institute of Environmental Protection - had openly rejected the findings, claiming the city’s 5.5m cars were largely to blame.
The CAS study, which collected air data on a seasonal basis, found coal burning, industrial pollution and inorganic aerosols accounted for 18%, 25% and 26% of air pollution, respectively.
Meanwhile, Pan Tao claims vehicle emissions themselves make up a large part of the secondary inorganic aerosol content, rendering the Academy’s findings contradictory. Pan cited various studies from China’s prestigious Tsinghua and Peking universities, which stated vehicle emissions could be responsible for up to 30% of pollutionn.
While the academic debate continues, the nation’s policy makers are likely to stand behind restrictions made on car buying along with other initiatives to curb emissions in the nation’s capital.