BEIJING (AP) – The capital of China and a large part of the north of the country were engulfed on Monday by the worst sandstorm in a decade, leading to the cancellation of hundreds of flights.
The skyscrapers in central Beijing seemed to be out of sight in the dust and sand. Traffic was confusing and more than 400 flights from the capital’s two main airports were canceled before noon.
These storms used to occur regularly in the spring, when the sand from the western deserts blew eastward, affecting areas as far as northern Japan.
Massive planting of trees and shrubs in fragile areas has reduced the intensity of storms, but the expansion of cities and industries has put constant pressure on the environment across China.
The National Meteorological Center predicted that sand and dust would affect 12 provinces and regions, from Xinjiang, in the far northwest, to Heilongjiang, in the northeast, and in the eastern coastal port city of Tianjin.
“This is the most intense sandstorm climate that our country has seen in 10 years, in addition to covering the widest area,” the center said in a post on its website.
It was unclear whether the storm was related to a recent general decline in air quality, despite efforts to end Beijing’s stifling pollution.
The government’s Communist Party has pledged to reduce 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 greenhouse gases.