City report · Yunnan, China
Zhaotong Air quality today
Air quality in Zhaotong currently reads AQI 69 (Moderate): Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
AQI 69
Air quality right now
Moderate
- PM2.5, fine particles (µg/m³)
- 18.8
- tree cover
- 12.3%
- trees in this area
- 38.6K
- more trees needed
- 55.6K
Measured across a 2 km radius around Zhaoyang District, Zhaotong, Yunnan, China (12.57 km²), from a satellite image of Sep 7, 2026. Lower AQI is better: 0–50 is Good, above 300 is Hazardous.
Zhaotong · AQI 69 (Moderate)
Zhaotong's tree count comes to 38,642 trees across 12.57 km², 18 points below the 30% tree-cover level considered healthy for this area, so roughly 55,606 more trees would close the gap.
Air quality detail
Air quality in Zhaotong today: AQI 69, Moderate
Main pollutant: PM2.5 · Observed Nov 12, 00:00 local time via World Air Quality Index Project ground stations, US EPA index. Values in µg/m³.
Ground station · Monitoring station, Zhaotong (昭通监测站), 2.8 km away
Health signal
Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
PM2.5
18.8
PM10
34.6
NO₂
—
O₃
—
SO₂
—
CO
—
Data: World Air Quality Index Project, Yunnan Environmental Protection Agency (云南省环境保护厅)
- Outdoor exercise
- Fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier
- Windows
- Fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution
- Mask
- Not needed for most people
- Air purifier
- Worth running if you are sensitive
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Zhaotong's daily AQI at 45 on average, from 22 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 100 on Nov 7.
Where Zhaotong stands: the most polluted cities in the world right now · the cleanest
Tree cover detail
Tree cover in Zhaotong: Critically low
12.3% tree cover against a 30% healthy-neighborhood target, across 12.57 km².
Trees in this area
38,642
Target trees
94,248
More trees needed
55,606
CO₂ if planted / yr
1,223 t
Deforestation · 2001–2025
How much forest has Zhaotong lost?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Zhaotong has lost about 4 hectares of forest (about 5 football pitches): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was farms, pasture and plantations (22%). About 1 hectare (28%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns.
2017: satellite photo from April 2017 of a 5 × 5 km area in the city center.
- Forest lost since 2001
- 4 haabout 5 football pitches
- Share of its forest
- under 1%of what there was in 2000
- Cleared for good
- 1 hadeforestation: turned into farms, mines or towns
The worst year was 2011, when about 1 hectare of forest were lost.
Hectares of forest lost each year
Show the figures as a table
| Year | Cleared for good | Can grow back | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2002 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2003 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2004 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2005 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2006 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2007 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2008 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2009 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2010 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2011 | under 1 ha | 1 ha | 1 ha |
| 2012 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2013 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2014 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2015 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2016 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2017 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2018 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2019 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2020 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2021 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2022 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2023 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2024 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
| 2025 | under 1 ha | under 1 ha | under 1 ha |
What is causing deforestation around Zhaotong?
- Farms, pasture and plantationscleared for good22% · under 1 ha
- Loggingcan grow back8.3% · under 1 ha
- Towns and roadscleared for good8.3% · under 1 ha
Also: unknown causes.
Causes for 2025 are estimates, based on what caused forest loss in the same places up to 2024.
Forest gained and lost, 2000–2020
- Forest in 2000
- 1,000 ha
- Forest in 2020
- 1,070 ha
- Overall change
- +69 hamore forest than in 2000
Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Zhaotong grew from about 1,000 hectares to 1,070 hectares, a net gain of about 69 hectares (+6.9%). New forest grew on about 112 hectares, while 43 hectares were lost.
These 2000 and 2020 maps, from the University of Maryland, count any land with trees taller than 5 m as forest, including plantations and orchards. Forest that was cut or burned and had grown back by 2020 counts in both years, so the loss here is smaller than the yearly figures.
These figures cover everything within 10 km of the city center, a wider area than the report above, because forest is usually lost at a city's edges.
Source: Hansen/UMD/Google/USGS/NASA, Global Forest Change (GFC-2025-v1.13); causes: WRI/Google DeepMind drivers of forest loss; both CC BY 4.0, summed by Airleaf for each area. Forest gained and lost 2000–2020: Potapov et al. 2022, UMD GLAD Global Land Cover and Land Use Change, CC BY 4.0. Images: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data. How it's measured
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Frequently asked
Questions about Zhaotong
What is the air quality (AQI) in Zhaotong right now?
The latest reading for Zhaotong shows an AQI of 69 (Moderate), measured Nov 12, 00:00 local time by the Monitoring station, Zhaotong (昭通监测站) ground monitoring station, 2.8 km away, via OpenAQ. The main pollutant is PM2.5. Unusually sensitive people should consider limiting long outdoor exertion.
Is it safe to exercise outside in Zhaotong today?
At AQI 69 (Moderate): fine for most people; unusually sensitive people should take long or hard exercise easier. Windows: fine to open; close them if you are sensitive to pollution. Masks: not needed for most people. The reading changes through the day, so check again before a long run or ride.
What has the air quality in Zhaotong been like this week?
Over the last 7 days, the CAMS air-quality model put Zhaotong's daily AQI at 45 on average, from 22 on Nov 8 to an hourly peak of 100 on Nov 7. No day averaged above 100, the level where the air turns unhealthy for sensitive groups.
How much forest has the area around Zhaotong lost since 2001?
Since 2001, the area within 10 km of Zhaotong has lost about 4 hectares of forest (about 5 football pitches): under 1% of the forest it had in 2000. The biggest cause was farms, pasture and plantations (22%). About 1 hectare (28%) was deforestation: forest cleared for good for farms, mines or towns. Comparing satellite maps from 2000 and 2020, the forest around Zhaotong grew from about 1,000 hectares to 1,070 hectares, a net gain of about 69 hectares (+6.9%). New forest grew on about 112 hectares, while 43 hectares were lost.
What is the tree count in Zhaotong?
Zhaotong has an estimated 38,642 trees across the 12.57 km² measured — 12.3% tree cover, 18 percentage points short of the 30% tree-cover target set for this area.
How many more trees does Zhaotong need?
Zhaotong needs roughly 55,606 more trees to close a 18-point shortfall against its 30% tree-cover target — about 1,223 t of extra CO₂ absorbed per year once grown.
How are Zhaotong's air quality and tree cover measured?
Air quality is measured by ground monitoring stations near Zhaoyang District, via OpenAQ; the 7-day trend is the Open-Meteo / CAMS model's estimate. Tree cover is measured from Sentinel-2 L2A (ESA Copernicus) via Earth Search satellite imagery at 10 m detail across a 2 km radius around Zhaoyang District; the tree count is an estimate derived from that cover.
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