China pollution: Day two of Smog alert in Beijing

Although many other cities in China and elsewhere in the world typically see levels of smog even worse than Wednesday’s pollution in Beijing, the Chinese capital’s latest bout has triggered its first red alert under a two-year-old system of alerts and restrictions to deal with persistent contamination.

China has issued its first ever red alert on pollution as the country, especially the capital Beijing, faces poor air quality. He journaled his trips from the old lanes to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, recording the date, the weather, the area he vacuumed, and a photo of him doing his work.

Smartphone air quality apps, popular among Beijingers, showed an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of more than 200 for nearly all monitoring stations across the city on Monday, advising people to reduce outdoor activities.

The Beijing Education Commission issued a notice on Monday night asking all middle, primary schools and kindergartens to suspend classes during the red alert period.

Beijing imposed the red-alert – the highest on a four-color scale – following a forecast of high pollution for three consecutive days.

The Air Quality Index, a measure of those particles, reportedly soared to over 600 and was still at close to 300 at midnight Wednesday Beijing time, according to according to measurements taken by the U.S. Embassy. To regulate the number of cars on city roads, Beijing citizens are allowed to only drive on certain days. “The reality is that we have smog”, she said. And, as we’re seeing in Beijing lately, that kind of waste isn’t just academic: it dramatically impact the lives of millions of people.

Those who stayed in Beijing also bought air purifying machines, an increasingly common household necessity in a city that even on normal days is one of the world’s most polluted.

A grey soupy haze subsumed Beijing’s unique landmarks, convenience stores sold air-filtering masks at brisk rates and health-food stores promoted pear juice as a traditional Chinese tonic for the lungs.

The reason behind the thick smog is the vehicular emission, dust from construction sites, coal-based industries and heating systems and these being supported by the prevailing weather conditions.

Air pollution warnings could have a devastating effect on health and the city’s economy.

A Beijing resident who gave his only his surname, Du, said he was taking advantage of a lack of crowds near the capital’s ancient Forbidden City to stroll and take unique photographs.

The central government has said it would use more clean energy, eliminate outdated production capacity or reduce reliance on coal as part of its efforts to reduce air pollution, said Wang Tao, a resident scholar of energy and climate programme in the Carnegie-Tsinghua Centre for Global Policy.

The Zhangbei Demonstration Project, managed by China’s State Grid Jibei Electricity Power Company, is tapping the power of Green Horizons renewable energy forecasting technology to integrate 10 percent more alternative energy into the national grid, enough to power more than 14,000 homes.