白鯨記 (Moby-Dick)

南通 (Nántōng), 江苏省 (Jiāngsū province), China: A 68-metre long image of a whale formed by plastic waste collected from the ocean during an event to raise awareness of pollution. Photo: AFP/Getty Images.

魔境夢遊：時光怪客 (Alice Through the Looking Glass)

An Air China passenger aircraft flying amid heavy smog over the suburb of 北京 (Běijīng), China, on January 2, 2017. Photo: Reuters/Jason Lee/File Photo.

答案在风中飘荡 (Blowin’ in the Wind)

Or maybe not. A Chinese government-backed study, published last month in the journal Global Change Biology, tracked the growth rates of six aspen trees in 北京 (Běijīng) between 2012 and 2015, when the city was shrouded in one of its densest ozone fogs. The scientists’s conclusions are astonishing: 北京 (Běijīng)’s air pollution helps its trees grow better, faster, and stronger.

北京 (Běijīng)-based artist 王智远 (Wáng Zhìyuǎn) created a 36 foot tall towering tornado sculpture – called “Thrown to the Wind” – from hundreds of plastic containers discarded as trash. Photo: inhabitat.com.

天气预报 (Weather forecasting)

China has already set a record for concentrations of lung-damaging ozone in June, rising 11 percent from the same month last year, but the Ministry of Ecology and Environment warned on Tuesday, July 17, that it expected ozone pollution to be particularly high in the region surrounding 北京 (Běijīng) over the next 10 days.

Buildings are seen amid smog on a polluted day in 北京 (Běijīng), China on April 2, 2018. Photo: Reuters/Stringer.

Moby Dick

Rome, Italy: A lifesize reproduction of two whales emerging from a sea filled with plastic waste has been erected in front of the Pantheon. Greenpeace hopes the installation will raise awareness about pollution in the Mediterranean. Photo: Simone Somekh/AP.

Recycling Art

Fabrice Monteiro is a photographer based in Dakar, Senegal. His series, The Prophecy, focuses on environmental devastation in Senegal, with 10 images featuring models dressed in eerie debris costumes crafted by Senalgese fashion designer Jah Gal/Doulsy, will be on show at Photo Basel 2017 until 18 June. Photos: Fabrice Monteiro.

What it’s like to land on Mars

• 等停停 (Děng Tíngtíng), In China, the water you drink is as dangerous as the air you breathe, The Guardian, June 2, 2017

A rubbish-strewn beach in 安全村 (Ānquán village). China suffers from widespread water pollution after years of unbridled economic growth. Photo: STR/AFP/Getty Images.

Sand Castle

北京 (Běijīng), China: A woman wears a mask to protect herself from particles blown during a sandstorm. Sandstorms are common in northern China during the spring season and are caused when heavy winds from Mongolia in the north brings sand and pollutants that can blanket Chinese cities and cause air quality to deteriorate. Photo: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images.

沙暴 (Sandstorm)

Dozens of flights are reported cancelled and residents urged to stay indoors to avoid breathing in dangerous particles. [Read more].

• Tom Phillips, 北京 (Běijīng) hit by new air pollution crisis as huge sandstorm blows in, The Guardian, May 4, 2017

天安门广场 (Tiān’ānmén Square) in a sandstorm in 北京 (Běijīng), China. Photo: Imaginechina/Rex/Shutterstock.

A Time of Silence

São Paulo, Brazil: Statues are adorned with ear protectors to mark the 22nd anniversary of the International Noise Awareness Day, an annual event (last fell on April 26, 2017) encouraging people to combat noise pollution. Photo: 新华通讯社 (Xīnhuá News Agency)/Barcroft Images.

In the Blue Painted Blue

李克强 (Lǐ Kèqiáng) promises to intensify battle against air pollution as he unveils series of measures at annual people’s congress. [Read more].

• Tom Phillips, China’s premier unveils smog-busting plan to “make skies blue again”, The Guardian, March 5, 2017

A woman wearing a mask walks to a subway station in 北京 (Běijīng) in heavy smog. Photo: 王身敦 (Andy Wong)/AP.

Noah’s Ark

Lake Titicaca, Peru: Melinda Quispe walks on the rubbish-strewn shore of Lake Titicaca in the village of Kapi Cruz Grande. The governments of Peru and Bolivia have signed a pact to spend more than $500m to counter the pollution around the lake. Photo: Rodrigo Abd/AP.

Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle

Stefano Boeri, the architect famous for his plant-covered skyscrapers, has designs to create entire new green settlements in a nation plagued by dirty air. [Read more].

• Tom Phillips, “Forest cities”: the radical plan to save China from air pollution, The Guardian, February 17, 2017

南京 (Nánjīng) Green Towers, promoted by 南京 (Nánjīng) 扬子 (Yángzǐ) State-owned National Investment Group Co. Ltd, will be the first Vertical Forest built in Asia. Photo: Stefano Boeri Architetti.

Mitigation of windblown dusts

Tens of thousands of people attend mass protests in 大庆 (Dàqìng), 黑龙江省 (Hēilóngjiāng province), China. They’re demonstrating against the municipal administration for its project to build an aluminum factory in the city without any anti-pollution measures or restrictions.

Blowin’ in the Wind

• Benjamin Haas, Where the wind blows: how China’s dirty air becomes Hong Kong’s problem, February 16, 2017

香港 (Hong Kong) is one of the most densely populated places in the world, but much of its pollution comes across from mainland China. Photo: Dale de la Rey/AFP/Getty Images.

The Unbreathable Lightness of Being

Face masks are already a common sight in Asia. Now, as air pollution worsens, designers are targeting city dwellers in Europe and the U.S. with pricier products. [Read more].

• Morwenna Ferrier, Air pollution masks – fashion’s next statement?, The Guardian, February 14, 2017

One of Swedish startup Airinum’s air mask designs. Photo: The Guardian.

Grey Foggy Morning

Smog in 聊城 (Liáochéng) in eastern China. Reducing carbon emissions is a priority for 北京 (Běijīng)’s leadership, which could influence the global battle against climate change. Photo: Sipa Asia/Rex/Shutterstock.

The Unbreathable Lightness of Being

鄭州 (Zhèngzhōu), China: Passengers walk in the smog at 鄭州 (Zhèngzhōu) East Railway Station. The central meteorological observatory issued a yellow alert of smog in the city with visibility down to below 50m. Photo: VCG/Getty Images.

Si duo faciunt idem, non est idem

Polluted water and trash mingle on the bank of the 黄河 (Yellow River) in 兰州 (Lánzhōu), China. Photo © Aaron Jaffe/Circle of Blue.

Floating Air

A woman wears a mask as she sits on a public bus amid heavy smog in downtown 上海 (Shànghǎi). Millions in China rang in the New Year shrouded in a thick blanket of toxic smog, causing road closures and flight cancellations as 24 cities issued alerts that are expected to last for much of the week. Photo: 阿里宋 (Ālǐ Sòng)/Reuters.