Beijing suffocates in smog (photo): city closed and Chinese wearing masks

SMOG IN BEIJING –

Il world climate summit underway in Paris, it should have been done in Beijing. In the Chinese capital the apocalypse, linked to the crazy emission of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases, is now a realityThe only thing municipal authorities could do, faced with the disaster, was impose a series of restrictions. Schools were closed. Seniors were urged to stay home. Car traffic was restricted to alternate license plates and trucks were stopped. Construction sites were blocked. Pregnant mothers were urged not to leave their homes.

ALSO READ: Overheated climate: 5 concrete actions we can all take every day

BEIJING AND POLLUTION –

What contributed to unleashing hell in Beijing, shrouded in a perpetual gray and brown cloud? Simply the fact that in the Asian megalopolis, where 23 million people live today, the lights have been turned on warm ups for the arrival of winter. And since all the plants run on coal, which represents 90 percent of the country's energy sources, the air in the city has become unbreathableThe wealthier citizens even equipped themselves with firefighter masks, equipped with gas filters, while the elderly had to make do with raising their scarves, lowering their hats, and breathing at a minimum.

TO KNOW MORE: Pollution is skyrocketing in Beijing, and now even water is starting to run out.

SMOG ALERT IN BEIJING –

The alarm about a city suffocating from smog is linked to the levels of polluting particles present in the air: they are 15 times higher than the average considered at risk by the World Health Organization. Prospects? Zero.Apart from the prohibitions, It's hard to imagine the situation improving in the short term. And the only hope is the wind, which could improve air quality.Here: all the delegates in Paris should go to Beijing one day to understand what will happen if we don't intervene to stop global warming and harmful emissions.

(Image source: Getty Images)

TO LEARN MORE: Paris Climate Conference: Here are all the positions on the table.