When China hosted the 22nd Annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in November, 2014, at the International Conference Centre in Beijing, the government went to great lengths to ensure that attendees were impressed by China’s pollution control policies and the achievement of clear blue skies.
Among the heavy restrictions imposed on the populace were the closing of factories, offices and schools for a week, forcing a mandatory holiday upon millions of people, the barring of half of the city’s cars from its streets, the banning of the lighting of outdoor barbeques and the burning of funeral incense. It was not the first time that China had sought to have clear skies for marquee international events, as similar efforts had been made prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the World Expo in Shanghai, in 2010.
The constraints produced rare blue skies over the city, which led to the coining of the term ‘apec blue,’ by the exhausted residents of the capital, worn out by all the extensive preparations. Over the next four years, as China scrambled to clean its air, far reaching measures led to a reduction of 32 percent in average pollution rates across its major cities.
Air pollution, a by-product of progress, was consciously brought into focus sixty-eight years ago, when the City of London was enveloped in a thick layer of smog for four days, which contributed to the deaths of approximately 4,000 persons. The smog – a noxious combination of smoke and fog – was the result of the burning of extra coal, (forced by the early arrival of a cold and snowy winter), which produced exceptional amounts of the main pollutant sulphur dioxide. Trapped in a high pressure system, the smog resulted in such poor visibility that traffic ground to a halt, and Londoners, unable to even see their feet, were literally left gasping for air.
The lasting legacy of the Great Smog of ’52, was the Clean Air Act of 1956, which introduced several measures to reduce air pollution, including the banning of the emission of ‘dark smoke’ from furnaces. Many observers were of the opinion that this legislation resulted in vast improvement in public health.
Fast forward to present day India, where six months ago in Delhi, one of the fourteen Indian cities listed among the twenty most polluted cities on the planet, schools were shut down, flights diverted, and residents were asked to wear masks as the air pollution reached unbearable levels, more than twenty times the safe limit recommended by the World Health Organisation.
With the current lockdown in place, coupled with the suspension of transport, federal authorities have reported marked improvements in the quality of air in 85 cities, as pollution has plummeted to unseen levels in recent memory. As these cities savour the ‘apec blue’ skies and unusually fresh air, one fact is quickly beginning to emerge during this dark period.
“The current crisis has shown us that clear skies and breathable air can be achieved very fast if concrete action is taken to reduce burning of fossil fuels,” observed Sunil Dahiya, of the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, in India, in an interview with BBC correspondent, Soutik Biswas.
Is this the silver lining behind the dark cloud of COVID-19? In time to come, we might reflect on these times whenever, Johnny Nash’s 1972 Billboard number one smash hit, “I can see clearly now” comes on the air…
“I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.
I think I can make it now, the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is the rainbow I’ve been praying for
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.
Look all around, there’s nothing but blue skies
Look straight ahead, nothing but blue skies…”
