Beijing Issues First Smog Red Alert

Schools closed and rush-hour roads were much quieter than normal as Beijing invoked its first-ever red alert for smog Tuesday, closing many factories and imposing restrictions to keep half the city’s vehicles off the roads.

India Struggling to Breathe

Photos by Tsering Topgyal There was a time when winter in the Indian capital was a glorious thing. Clear, sunny days and crisp cold nights.

Archivist Update: Early Air Pollution

In this addition of Archivist Update, we highlight an image depicting a college student wearing a gas mask as he “smells” a magnolia blossom in City Hall Park on Earth Day, April 22, 1970, in New York.