In the News
March 7, 2019
South Korea’s capital city is the latest place in Southeast Asia that’s planning to artificially create rain in response to severe air pollution.
Seoul’s levels of particulate matter, a dangerous pollutant that can embed itself in a person’s lungs and cause permanent damage, have been above the health standard of 35 micrograms per cubic meter the last few days, according to the country’s air quality monitoring system, AirKorea.
In fact, the particulate matter levels shot up to nearly 200 micrograms per cubic meter Wednesday. By Friday, the air quality had improved to barely meet the health standard, but South Korean President Moon Jae-in announced Wednesday he is moving forward with a plan to create artificial rain because the country’s pollution has been worsening over the years, reports AlJazeera.
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What is clear is this region of the world deals with air pollution woes all too often. An analysis from the Air Quality Life Index released Wednesday found that Thailand’s air pollution is cutting lives by more than two years. In India, where smog caused people to fatally crash their cars in 2017, air pollution imposes $35 billion in economic losses, a study out Monday found.