BEIJING (AP) – The capital of China and a large part of the north of the country were shrouded in the worst sandstorm in a decade on Monday, leading to the cancellation of hundreds of flights.
Skyscrapers in the middle of Beijing seem to be falling out of the face amidst dust and sand. Traffic was hampered and more than 400 flights from the capital’s two main airports were canceled before noon.
Such storms occurred frequently in the spring as sand blew eastward from western deserts and hit areas as far north as Japan.
The massive planting of trees and forests in fragile areas has reduced the intensity of the storms, but the expansion of cities and industries has continuously put pressure on the environment in China.
The National Meteorological Center predicted that the sand and dust would affect 12 provinces and regions from Xinjiang in the northwest to Heilongjiang in the northeast and the eastern port city of Tianjin.
“This is the most intense sandstorm weather our country has seen in ten years, and it also covers the widest area,” the center said in a report on its website.
It was not clear whether the storm was related to a recent general decline in air quality, despite efforts to end the stifling smog from Beijing.
The ruling Communist Party is committed to reducing carbon emissions per unit of economic production by 18% over the next five years. Environmentalists say China needs to do more to reduce its dependence on coal, which has made it the world’s largest emitter of climate-changing gases.