Why Beijing Declared Its First Ever “Red Alert” for Smog

And it’s not just the proletariat that’s going to suffer – government agencies will be forced to park 30 percent of their vehicle fleets. 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.

The World Health Organization’s recommended maximum exposure to microscopic particles is 25 with levels in Beijing far surpassing that figure.

A red alert would have been disruptive; and on the first day of the COP21 climate change talks in Paris it would have been embarrassing.

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

China’s smog endemic is at its worst in the winter when an increased amount of greenhouse gas emissions come from the burning of coal for electricity and heating.

The new alert issued by the city’s emergency management headquarters represented the highest-level warning issued for the first time since a four-colour scale – red, orange, yellow, blue – was introduced in 2013.

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.

According to official statistics, nearly 4.4 million private cars were registered in the Chinese capital at the end of 2014.

Five days of steadily worsening pollution cut visibility within some parts of Beijing to 300 feet or less and delayed many flights into the city’s main airport, prompting Beijing’s Office of Emergency Management to issue the red alert.

The red alert has been imposed until Thursday.

“I want to show this absurdity to more people”, Wang said on Tuesday as pollution levels in the Chinese capital soared to levels 40 times higher than levels deemed safe by the World Health Organisation.

Beijing’s environmental protection bureau defines heavy pollution as anything above 200.

“This measure reflects that the government, at least, has the courage to face this problem”, said Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, a Chinese environmental group, referring to the red alert.

“Can we apply to work at home?”

“Today wasn’t as serious as the previous time”, said one user.

The horror smash appeared to have been caused by thick smog which has triggered a “red alert” by authorities in the China.

“That’s a sign of a different attitude from the Beijing government”, said Dong Liansai, an energy and climate campaigner for Greenpeace who is based in Beijing.