A decade of battle against PM2.5 in Beijing

Abstract

PM2.5 pollution has been a major environmental concern in Chinese cities for the past decade. In order to understand how pollution has proceeded, we produced a calendar view of the daily concentration of PM2.5 in Beijing from 2008 to 2017. The graphic shows that the pollution in Beijing intensified from 2008 to 2011 and then began to alleviate in 2012. The reduction has become more significant since 2015. However, air quality still falls below the international standard for healthy air and it is still early for Beijing to declare victory in the battle against PM2.5.