Airpocalypse (air + apocalypse)
“Airpocalypse” (air + apocalypse) is a term that was coined in January 2013 to describe China’s air pollution problem. The “airpocalypse” term has been used in India and in other places in addition to China.
Twitter
Bill Bishop
@niubi
“@tualatrix: 全国空气污染概略图，华北几乎都沦陷了…… ” map of pollution disaster in much of eastern china, not just beijing..airpocalypse
Embedded image permalink
7:07 AM - 12 Jan 2013
Shanghaiist
By Shanghaiist in News on Jan 14, 2013 10:40 AM
Airpocalypse! Check out these images of smog eating up cities across China
By Michael Evans
After three days of heavy smog, Beijing continues to record worrying PM2.5 readings, which by 11pm Saturday night had surged to 900 in some areas, far beyond the maximum of 500 on the US embassy’s measurement scale (which lists levels from 301 to 500 as “hazardous”).
The smog, which some expats have dubbed “airpocalypse” is expected to continue until Wednesday, according to the capital’s meteorologists.
Word Spy
Posted: November 1, 2013
airpocalypse
n. Extreme air pollution caused by a combination of smog, dust, and weather.
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2013 (earliest)
Dust, smog and heavy wind made Li Yuan’s weekend trip to Beijing’s southern suburb in search of an affordable apartment a nasty experience….
January’s “airpocalypse,” as it has come to be known, has pushed sales of PM2.5-blocking masks skyrocketing in the past few months.
—“China Exclusive: Mask a requisite for Beijing residents,” Philippines News Agency, January 11, 2013
NPR
Beijing’s ‘Airpocalypse’ Spurs Pollution Controls, Public Pressure
Updated March 20, 2014 4:39 PM ET
LOUISA LIM
In China’s capital, they’re calling it the “airpocalypse,” with air pollution that’s literally off the charts. The air has been classified as hazardous to human health for a fifth consecutive day, at its worst hitting pollution levels 25 times that considered safe in the U.S. The entire city is blanketed in a thick grey smog that smells of coal and stings the eyes, leading to official warnings to stay inside.
New York (NY) Times
‘Airpocalypse’: Beijing Smog Red Alert on Social Media
By CHRISTINE HAUSER DEC. 8, 2015
As Beijing enacted emergency measures on Tuesday to cope with the city’s first “red alert” over air pollution, images and stories of woe on social media documented the smog that is keeping schoolchildren and factory workers at home and some vehicles off the roads.
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Edward Wong, The New York Times’s bureau chief in China, published images and reaction on Twitter, including an item that circulated the trending nickname #airpocalypse that some have given to the crisis: ...
Bloomberg View
CLIMATE CHANGE
‘Airpocalypse’ Is an Opportunity for China and India
DEC 13, 2015 5:00 PM EST
By Editorial Board
Even as negotiators were completing a new global accord on climate change last week, a lung-burning haze choked two major world capitals, infuriating residents and reigniting debate about the costs of headlong development. As China and India rush to clean their cities’ hazardous air, they can take this opportunity to make progress against climate change as well.