Beijing traffic slashed as city endures ‘airpocalypse’

Beijing today issued its first red alert – highest in a four-tier emergency response system created in 2013 – for pollution as air in the city of more than 22 million people turned hazardous.

This prompted the government to close down schools, halt any outdoor construction activities, and ban half the cars off the streets (cars with odd and even license plates will be allowed alternatively) until Thursday, December 10.

As China continues to be blanketed by dense toxic air, authorities in the city of Beijing have issued the highest red alert for pollution.

Most of the country’s carbon emissions come from burning coal to heat homes and to fuel power plants, a practice that spikes during cold winter months. Tuesday’s announcement re-intensified existing warnings against venturing outdoors or in any way risking unnecessary exposure, with the worst of the smog blanket expected to hold firm for a minimum of three days. The World Health Organisation (WHO) designates the safe level for the tiny poisonous particles at 25 microgrammes per cubic metre.

According to the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center, the heavy smog will remain until Thursday. Measurements of PM2.5, the harmful microscopic particles in smog, are above 300, according to the real-time air quality monitor at the us embassy in Beijing. At the same time, another big problem affecting Beijing’s air quality are the numerous construction sites releasing huge quantities of dirt and dust all over the city. Extra subway trains and buses would be added to help cope with the additional strain on public transport.

The situation has now become so bad that the city issued its first-ever red alert on Monday because the pollution has reached risky levels.

Like Beijing, many cities in the neighboring provinces of Hebei and Shandong as well as Tianjin Municipality have taken emergency measures.

But while lots of people on Weibo said they were making plans to stay in to avoid the smog for the next few days, many ignored the official warnings to spend less time outside.

Beijing issued a red alert this week for smog, triggering restrictions on traffic, school closures and factory suspensions.

The announcement arrived by the state news agency, Xinhua, which posted on its English-language Twitter account that the restrictions would be in effect, and included a photo of the Bird’s Nest-the stadium built for the 2008 Summer Olympics-in dark smog and almost invisible.