Beijing ‘airpocalypse’ red alert now in force

The city, now in the middle of its first-ever emergency “red alert” for air pollution, has closed schools and temporarily taken cars off the road as smog keeps getting worse. “Our aim with this map is to visualize the global pandemic of air pollution in order to raise awareness of the importance of clean air for our health”, says Lacombe. More citizens meant more cars, and more cars – like it or not – meant more pollution.

A grey soupy haze subsumed Beijing’s landmarks, and convenience stores did brisk business selling air-filtering masks as residents sought to protect themselves even as they spent as little time outdoors as possible. It is expected to disperse Thursday afternoon as a cold front is set to arrive.

As far as China is concerned, the move to issue the red alert is being seen as the government’s efforts to project Beijing’s seriousness about implementing president Xi Jinping’s promise at the Paris talks to take action against greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Some polluting enterprises, including a stone processing factory and several clothing workshops, continued to operate on Tuesday after a red alert, the highest level, was issued in the morning.

On a day that Beijing declared its first ever air pollution red alert, Delhi surpassed its Chinese counterpart.

The red alert caused disruption for some parents, who had to scramble Monday evening to find alternative childcare arrangements.

Over the past few years, the air over Beijing has witnessed an improvement, however, the readings of unsafe particles on Tuesday were more than dozen times higher than the safe levels, reports Yahoo News.

According to data on the website of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center, concentrations of PM2.5, a particulate which is considered as most risky to health, was reported to be 173 micrograms per cubic meter in the past 24 hours near Tiananmen Square in the center of the capital.

Cars with even and odd number license plates will alternate daily in using the city’s roads, they explained.

Those who did struggle to the office posted pictures on social media of themselves wearing industrial-strength face masks.

Pollution in China’s capital, Beijing has gotten significantly worse in the last couple of weeks. The index is closely linked to levels of PM2.5, although it also includes other pollutants. Most of the smog is blamed on coal-fired power plants, along with vehicle emissions, construction and factory work.

China has reduced emissions and invested in renewable energies such as solar power or wind, but the country still depends on coal for more than 60 per cent of its power.