Do locals just not care about air pollution or...?

This year so far has been worse than previous 2 because of the weather conditions. Last year was totally fine.

Because of a lack of rain?

More like the lack of wind.

Ah i see so the local particulates just linger? I thought winds also bring the China stuff though

1 Like

It’s worse when there’s no wind. Pollutants come from China would linger in the south because there’s no wind as well.

1 Like

It doesn’t matter, they should turn on the damn air purifiers.

2 Likes

Please explain how with no wind the smog moves from China across the strait to Taiwan.

Most of the pollution is domestic.

7 Likes

The wind isn’t strong enough to blow the pollutants pass Kaohsiung.

The only way you will get any change to attitude where you work is if you convince some of the parents or boss. Say you do, and things changed, expect things to return to back to the way they where in a short time.

1 Like

Pre COVID, when N95 masks were cheap and readily avail, I would wear them anytime the AQI got above 65 or so. At first I would try to hide the valve by wearing a surgical mask over it, but then I decided that wearing an N95 mask was making a point – this air is toxic (especially because people within our school would be burning plastic trash most afternoons) and I am doing something to protect myself. People just thought I was weird/ continued to keep the windows open (and there were no air purifiers to speak of) but I appreciated the N95 masks – it kept the smoke stench out of my nose at least.

It’s true people don’t give a crap though, even as stories of famous 35 year old actors in China dying of heart attacks are linked back to poor air quality.

But then how does the pollution travel from China to Taiwan.

They don’t care because they don’t know better. They are told how polluted other countries are and blindly believe it.

Honestly, I was the same. I didn’t believe how polluted other countries were. I thought countries took that same care of the environment as Australians. Obviously not true. My bad.

What gets me angry is not so Much the air quality but how people have zero respect for the environment in general. Just leaving rubbish where ever they are.

Yep, I was astonished at how bad the air quality was in Asia and I still never totally got over it.

My worst experience was a 1 week biz trip through China, from very South, to central and North China.

EVERYWHERE was covered in smog. From Guilin to Chongqing to Beijing to Changchun. That’s a distance of thousands of kms.
It was truly horrific.

I’ve had mini versions of that when flying over Taiwan either landing into Taichung or Taoyuan or Taipei airports. You will see the smog layer over the the whole West coast.
Sometimes the smog only goes up as far as Hsinchu from the South but sometimes all the way.
Taipei while it looks cleaner almost always has a smog layer. I know this because I often flew through it.

Transition from relatively clean air to horrific smog. Somewhere North of Taichung.

Taipei Songshan
I guarantee you most Taiwanese people wouldn’t know that this is actually quite bad PM 2.5.
See how the blue sky has become almost milky blue. Clouds have no definition.

This is what it looks like from above.

Nothing beats Apocalypse Sunday as the wind turned and blew the smog from the Taichung power plant towards the city over Dadun mountain.
Taichung from powerplant

3 Likes

I remember taking this photo to show the transition as we flew down through the top of the haze layer over the city. It was depressing thinking I would have to now breathe this stuff.

3 Likes

I go to fulong beach , its nice and normally fresh air . We stay pretty late sometimes and the last two times the locals that live near the beach were burning garbage including plastic area filled with a toxic white smoke it was hard to breathe…
nasty , why is that not illegal?
And did anyone mention :fire: burning paper money? Taiwan cares are the environment, save the world!!!
turn down the a/c only to 27 government rule

1 Like

Wow any day over AQI over 65? I don’t think it’s been that low here for a long time. I would love to check my app and see AQI 65 here haha.

I’ve started wearing an N95 too when I’m walking in the hallways between classes. It’s impossible to avoid the bad air since all of the hallways are exposed to outdoor air. I get a lot of strange looks and remarks from students and other teachers.

Yeah I’ve kind of already began to realize this and just resigned myself to it… Incredibly frustrating. My job is not taken seriously and I have no pull with parents or principal so that’s definitely not going to happen.

I thought the government was trying to get people to burn ghost money at temples where scrubbers can be installed to keep the smoke down. But I don’t think any government can tell people to not burn stuff at entrances and stuff (it’s a fire hazard). Bet they will revolt over that.

This. One of those things I thought was interesting when I first got here and now I just don’t get it. Burning it on busy sidewalks with people walking by on a day when the air is already dangerous to breathe.

4 Likes