Beijing Air Pollution at Hazardous Levels

Levels of the tiny airborne particle PM2.5 rose “beyond index” to more than 500 micrograms per cubic meter, according to the US Embassy, which advises people to stay indoors and avoid activity at such levels.

Since Friday, the city had been shroud in gray smog, reducing visibilities to a few hundred meters (yards).

Under the orange weather alert mechanism, industrial plants are required to reduce or shut down production; construction sites should stop the transportation of materials and waste while heavy-duty trucks are banned from the roads.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are both in Paris and both were scheduled to meet U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday to give momentum to the two-week negotiations.

Authorities reportedly blame considerable amounts of coal burning for heating as a major cause for the current air pollution. When a child is born, we plant a tree. “This idea, rooted in our ancient texts, endures in sacred groves and in community forests across the land”.

Zou Shoumin an MEP official in charge of environment inspection, said the ministry has sent four groups to cities of Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiangzhuang and Langfang, to inspect local authorities’ efforts in battling air pollution.

The smog in Beijing is not expected to lift for about two more days, Chinese media reported, citing Beijing’s environment bureau.

State-run Xinhua news agency said more than 200 expressway toll gates in east China’s Shandong province were closed due to smog.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Environmental Protection announced that in 2014 only eight of the country’s 74 largest cities had passed the government’s basic air quality standards.