Atmospheric Brown Clouds over China

Giant brown clouds, man made, consisting of small particles, toxic chemicals and other artificial types of aerosols reside above China like a huge waft of mist. These clouds that can be encountered in the atmosphere above many developing countries are called Atmospheric Brown Clouds (ABCs). While they are also existing above the Amazonas area in Southern America and parts of Africa and Europe, China is more or less the leader in this questionable discipline.

A huge brown cloud covers all Eastern China.

When I was in China some rather uninformed or ignorant people told me that these clouds dimming the blue skies are a natural effect. But these atmospheric brown clouds are not a natural effect. About 100 hundred years ago when China was all over a rural country they didn’t exist. They really started to grow since the 70s, when China’s industrialization began.

Today atmospheric brown clouds over China lower light levels up to 25% on average in some cities! Shenzhen, Beijing and Shanghai are the worst, the light levels are heavily decreased in these cities. However these clouds are not only decreasing light levels, they are also harmful for humans. Did anyone expect them to be full of vitamins?

I took this photo in 2007 on some morning at 北京飞机场 (Beijing airport). The sun is fighting its way through a thick, unhealthy layer of aerosols.

Even worse, these clouds hide the heating of the world climate. They make ground temperatures lower than they are in reality due to the reduced light levels. This could mislead some people to thinking that there is no global warming in China. Even further atmospheric brown clouds can change the weather. Studies have shown that the rainfall in Southern China increases, while the north becomes even drier.

During the Olympics China’s atmospheric problems were reduced a bit, Beijing even had a 10 year record air quality. And the Chinese government announced that they want to change something after the Olympics. Now that the Olympics are over and the world aims towards some kind of recession these words seem to be forgotten. China wants to pump money into its economy. It is estimated that the huge amount of particles in China’s air kills an additional 350,000 people per year. So that is the cost for the economic growth.

Some Chinese guy told me some time ago: China doesn’t have the money for protecting the environment. Well maybe, but let’s not forget, the lower light levels make plants grow slower and reduce the crop’s yield. The agricultural output is lowering and China has enough hungry people to feed. China has good reasons to remove that dirty, disgusting, several kilometre thick layer of vaporized rubbish. Let’s see what they do during the next years. If You are in China right now, I really recommend You to buy some kind of breathing mask.

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