Beijing has recently issued its highest air pollution warning of the winter, as thick smog has been blanketing the Chinese capital. Particulate matter readings (PM2.5) were above 500 in the city on Tuesday. According to the World Health Organization, readings up to 25 are considered to be safe.
The government of China has stated that is waging a war against pollution. The picture of skies filled with smog over the city of Beijing is nothing new. Still, this hasn’t stopped some internet users in China from offering some dark humor over the situation. Some have compared the situation to that of a horror film.
One internet user wrote, “I was about to take a walk in the park, but this scene stopped me. If there was no music in the background, I would have thought this was a scene from Resident Evil.”
Another internet user said that the pollution is so bad that he forgot what the landmarks of the city looked like, and he asked others to help remind him.
A separate jokester posted a picture of him trying to vacuum the dirty air in the city. He said he was cleaning up. However, the situation became less humorous after the man was eventually able to produce a solid brick made up entirely of smog with his continued vacuuming.
Of course, the Chinese internet users will have to be careful, as they could be censored by the government at any moment.
Besides internet trolls, the pollution in Beijing has also inspired people to come up with some creative new songs. A parody of the pop song Beijing, Beijing was written to reflect the current pollution situation. The regular song’s cheerful lyrics were replaced by a darker description of the thick and dirty smog in the city.
The parody goes, “Who is searching in the smog? Who is breathing in the smog? Who is living in the smog? Who is dying in the smog?”
Although people are trying to put humor into the situation, the pollution really is no laughing matter. Beijing is one of the most polluted cities in the entire world, and China should be ashamed that it has allowed things to get this bad.
Recently, ahead of the ongoing Climate Summit in Paris, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that other “more developed” countries should take the initiative when it comes to fighting against climate change. China is currently the heaviest polluting country in the entire world.
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