Beijing's Dirty Air Begs Environmental Action be Mandated at COP 21, Paris

Foul stagnant polluted air has been sitting over China's capital, Beijing, for five-straight days -  sending copious amounts of fine pollutants into the atmosphere, sending people to emergency rooms, including children for respiratory ailments, while schools canceled all out door activities as hundreds of miles of highways are closed for visibility problems.

Beijing's bad air days are explicit reminders of the human effects suffered from man's direct impact upon the environment, which has witnessed China running its factories at jet-like paces for many years to gain renowned economic status, while adversely effecting the health of millions during the process. 

While the World Health Organization(WHO) has placed a safe level of air pollutants at 25 micrograms per cubic meter, yesterday the figures over Beijing topped 600 in many places and reached a stark 976 in Liulihe, close to Beijing. Cancer is the leading cause of death in China. Among women in Beijing in 2002, 30 had lung cancer per every 100,000 of the population. In 2010, that figure skyrocketed to a 50-percent increase to number 46 women per every 100,000 of the Beijing population.

The winds are forecast to blow away the stagnant air over Beijing within the next 24-hours. Where will the pollutants go? They will return. Like Beijing and many other Asian cities, some European cities also face similar events of bad air. Therefore, the urgency for a binding and lasting agreement on environmental change is hereby affirmed at CPO 21, Paris, France.