Beijing under three-day red alert as smog envelops city

The red alert was the first issued since Beijing adopted its air pollution emergency response program in 2013. A reminder of that comes this week from the nation’s capital, Beijing: For the first time ever, the city has issued a “Red Alert” on air pollution, forcing a variety of measures to try to bring air quality back to a less toxic level.

Kindergartens, primary and high schools were advised to suspend classes, however, some teachers still went to school to support students who had chosen to fearless the poor air and attend class.

The warning, which was upgraded from the previous orange alert on Monday, will be effective from 7am December 8 until noon on December 10, according to a statement on the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau’s official Weibo account.

Auto usage will be limited based on the last number of the vehicle’s licence plate – odd and even numbers will be allowed on the roads on alternate days.

The leadership in China has recently vowed to crack down on the environmental degradation, including the air pollution than all too often blankets major surrounding cities, following decades of vast economic growth.

Pollution in the city is monitored by checking the amount of a particular size particle, PM2.5, per cubic meter. North China’s Hebei Province has been covered in smog since Saturday evening.

A study led by Germany’s Max Planck Institute, published this year in “Nature” magazine, estimated that some 1.4 million people die prematurely in China each year because of the effects of pollution.

The smog would lasts until Thursday, and rain is expected to clear away the harmful smog.

Readings of PM2.5 particles climbed above 300 micrograms per cubic meter in some parts of the city Tuesday and were expected to continue rising before the air begins to improve with the arrival of a cold front on Thursday.

Coal-powered industries and heating systems, as well as vehicle emissions and dust from construction sites, all contribute to the smog which has been exacerbated by humidity and a lack of wind. Many took to the Internet to criticize the local authorities for not issuing the red alert last week, when the air pollution was also reaching hazardous levels, according to Reuters. Beijing has pledged that emissions will peak “around 2030”, without saying at what level and implying several years of further increases.