Beijing smog that triggered pollution alert

Half of Beijing’s 5.5 million private cars were ordered off the roads, schools and construction sites remained shut.

Engineer Wang Shaoang drives an electric auto, which are not subject to the odd-even rule, an attempt by the government to promote the use of cleaner vehicles. Meanwhile, in Beijing, a city of 20 million-plus people was locked down in its first-ever pollution “red alert”.

City residents reacted with a mix of alarm and nonchalance: “This is modern life for Beijing people”. They needed to travel relatively far, however, because nearly all of China’s northeast was affected, and many cities – including nearby Shijiazhuang – were even worse than Beijing.

Just prior to raising the red alert, Chinese environment minister Chen Jining said on Sunday that municipal environmental protection agencies in Northern cities which failed to put in emergency response plans quickly enough would be “strictly punished”.

Readings of PM2.5 particles climbed above 300 micrograms per cubic meter in some parts of the city Tuesday and were expected to continue rising before the air begins to improve with the arrival of a cold front on Thursday.

Auto use will be limited during the red alert period as cars are allowed on the roads on alternating days depending on the odd or even numbers of their license plates.

“Today wasn t as serious as the previous time”, said one commenter.

The United States Embassy’s air-quality index in Beijing recorded 367 at 1 p.m. Tuesday, a level rated as “hazardous at 24-hour exposure”, with readings earlier on Tuesday registering about 290.

Authorities have announced a few measures to tackle pollution, but many believe it is a case of too little.

Most of the smog is blamed on coal-fired power plants, along with vehicle emissions, construction and factory work.

On a new world map of smog, a giant dark bubble hovers over Beijing.

I’ve been in China at least 5 times for two or three weeks+ each time, and was in Beijing all five of the times until going into small towns on programs like Global Volunteers, etc. The first time I was in Beijing, the air was quite acceptable.

In a reverse of the more traditional pattern of East-West trade, Cambridge Mask Company is making pollution masks in Britain and selling them to China, where such items are ubiquitous on Beijing’s streets.

The China red smog alert takes place as China, considered to be the world’s largest polluter, participates in the Paris Summit where action on carbon emissions were agreed upon. “In China’s capital, residents’ awareness of air quality has risen markedly and the government has taken measures to bring it under control”.

Most of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the burning of coal for electricity and heating – particularly bad when demand peaks in winter – and is also the main cause of smog, which can include multiple pollutants.