Focus on Arts and Ecology

The big environmental stories in the Chinese media (12-18 March) 

The worst sandstorm to hit Beijing in a decade swept across northern China on Monday, sending citizens onto social media to share apocalyptic photos.

At its worst, levels of PM10 particulate matter were as high as 8,000 micrograms per cubic metre in Beijing, 160 times the safe limit set by the World Health Organization.

The China Meteorological Administration said the sandstorm had originated in Mongolia, where six people were reportedly killed and at least 80 reported missing.

The storm raised doubts about the Three-North Shelterbelt afforestation program to halt desertification and reduce sandstorms in the north. China initiated the program in 1978 and last year announced it had afforested at least 30 million hectares of land so far.

Asked about the latest sandstorm, Chinese experts explained the program makes little impact on atmospheric circulations, but can reduce sand and dust at ground level.

“Sandstorms are also an unpredictable natural phenomenon that can not be fully avoided,” said Yang Wenbin, the chief expert on sandstorm prevention at the Chinese Academy of Forestry.

According to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, the frequency of sandstorms in northern China has dropped in the past decades, to less than one day per year since 2011. Although it's hard to attribute this directly to the shelterbelt program, there has also been a reduction in strong winds and an increase in rainfall in the region, said CCTV.

However, Beijing residents shared concern on social media for what the sandstorm means for Mongolia’s semi-arid plateau. One study shows heatwaves and droughts have increased there over the past two decades. While analysis from the International Monetary Fund also pointed out that a tripling in livestock numbers in the region since 1990 has caused land degradation. Both factors could have contributed to the storm.

(Sources: China Dialogue)