Declaring war on pollution

An environment activist wear a gas mask during a protest to reduce fine dust at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

Apartment blocks are seen as a dust storm hits Beijing, China March 28, 2018. REUTERS

Pedestrians wear masks as they walk over an overpass during unusually high levels of dust in Beijing on March 28, 2018. AFP

A man wearing a facemask walks on an overpass bridge during haze in Beijing, China, 28 March 2018. The Beijing municipal observatory issued a blue alert on dust particles after floating dust and sand deriving from Mongolia hit Beijing early morning and will continue to affect the city throughout the day as air quality PM10 approaches 2,000 micrograms per cubic meter. EPA

Paramilitary policemen wearing protective face masks gesture toward a photographer as a sandstorm hits China's capital sending air quality index (AQI) to hazardous levels, in Beijing, March 28, 2018. REUTERS

A woman wearing a facemask rides a scooter during haze in Beijing, China, 28 March 2018. EPA

Vehicles commute on a main road during haze in Beijing, China, 28 March 2018. EPA

Smoke billows from the chimneys of Belchatow Power Station, Europe's biggest coal-fired power plant, in this May 7, 2009 file photo. The lignite-fired power plant in Belchatow, European Union's biggest polluter, will need to buy up to 20 million tonnes of CO2 emission permits by 2013, its chief Jacek Kaczorowski told Reuters on August 21, 2009. The plant released the equivalent of nearly 31 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere last year, topping by 4 million tonnes its EU-set ceiling as part of the bloc's attempts to curb global warming. REUTERS

An ethnic Miao minority woman visits at Tiananmen Square as a dust storm hits Beijing, China March 28, 2018. REUTERS

People wearing facemasks commute during haze in Beijing, China, 28 March 2018. EPA

A bicycle repairman wearing a facemark looks at his phone as he waits for customers in Beijing, Wednesday, March 28, 2018. A spring dust storm sent air quality indices soaring in China's capital on Wednesday.

A woman wears a mask to protect herself from dust as she waits beside a delivery man in Beijing on March 28, 2018. AFP

South Korea is bracing against poor air quality as rising seasonal temperatures and an unfavourable wind direction threatens to compound local pollution resulting in government issued 'fine dust' warnings with air quality monitoring websites reporting PM 2.5 levels of over 200, or 'unhealthy' -- eight times higher than the guideline limit for 24-hour exposure advised by the World Health Organisation (WHO). AFP

A demonstrator puts masks on statues during a protest against air pollution on place de la Concorde in Paris, on March 31, 2018. AFP

A fire fighter stands in the smokes from Olusosun dump site at Ojota in Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital on March 22, 2018. Lagos State Government shut down the Olusosun dump site following a fire outbreak from trapped gasses in the waste escaping to cause combustion. The fire left ten vehicles and goods stored in warehouses burnt. The smokes from the dump sites has forced many businesses to close shop and residents to evacuate the neighbourhood following the attendant health hazards from the polluted environment. AFP

Two men walk in smokes from Olusosun dump site at Ojota in Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital on March 22, 2018. AFP

A mam walks in the smoke from the Olusosun dump site at Ojota in Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital on March 22, 2018. AFP

Vendors cover their nose to walk in the smokes from Olusosun dump site at Ojota in Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital on March 22, 2018. AFP

An Indonesian worker walks between trash during clean up on a polluted coastal area in North Jakarta, 21 March 2018 (issued on 05 April 2018). According to reports, the northwestern part of Jakarta is sinking at a rate of seven to 10 centimeters per year, while it is between two and four centimeters in the northeast, making Jakarta among the fastest sinking cities in the world. Nearly 40 percent of the city is already below sea level. The rise of sea level and the extraction of groundwater are the main cause of the sinking capital. A construction project of a giant sea wall in Jakarta Bay is one of the measures taken to prevent the problem from worsening. EPA

A polluted neighborhood at Muara Baru coastal area in North Jakarta, 29 March 2018 (issued on 05 April 2018). According to reports, the northwestern part of Jakarta is sinking at a rate of seven to 10 centimeters per year, while it is between two and four centimeters in the northeast, making Jakarta among the fastest sinking cities in the world. Nearly 40 percent of the city is already below sea level. The rise of sea level and the extraction of groundwater are the main cause of the sinking capital. A construction project of a giant sea wall in Jakarta Bay is one of the measures taken to prevent the problem from worsening. EPA