Beijing issues orange alert for heavy smog

Beijing on Sunday, November 29 issued its highest smog alert of the year following air pollution in capital city reached hazardous levels as smog engulfed large parts of the country despite efforts to clean up the foul air. RT says that all factories are to be shut down during orange alerts, along with complete ban of heavy vehicles, such as construction trucks, during orange and red alerts.

China’s capital issued an “orange” alert hours after levels of PM2.5 – particles which can penetrate deeply into the lungs – reached more than 15 times recommended levels.

Beijing yesterday maintained the orange smog alert that was first raised in the capital on Sunday morning.

Beijing’s severe pollution is expected to last until a cold front arrives tomorrow, the city’s environmental protection bureau said on its Web site.

Meanwhile, in New Delhi, the U.S. Embassy’s monitoring station marked an air quality index of 372, well into hazardous territory. The readings far exceeded the national standard of 75 micrograms per cubic meter.

One of the worst spells of air pollution in recent years is hitting Beijing as negotiators meet in Paris to combat global warming.

“On the other hand there is an increasing level of awareness here in China about how harmful high levels of pollution are: so for example people do tend to stay indoors unless they really need to be outside, people wear face masks to protect themselves from the pollution if they are outside”.

Liu Xin, who is from Chongqing and went to Beijing for business on Saturday, canceled going out for dinner with friends due to the severe smog, saying she would rather be safe and stay indoors.

Xi is the first Chinese president to personally attend a United Nations annual worldwide climate change conference, and has made historic joint pledges with US President Barack Obama and French President Francois Hollande in the lead-up.

China launched a “war on pollution” a year ago following a spate of smog outbreaks in Beijing and surrounding regions.

Environmental issues are very pertinent in China, which produces most of its electricity by burning coal, making it the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter.

Heavy air pollution is common in many northern Chinese cities, especially in the winter, when the country’s coal-fired power plants work to heat homes and businesses. As the Cop21 opens in Paris, northern China on Monday experienced a thick fog of pollution with a record density for the year 2015.