Many ignore Beijing smog warnings despite first pollution ‘red alert’

While the world leaders are still in Paris for COP21, putting in place ways of curbing down global warming and the associated air pollution, Beijing is experiencing its first ever smog red-alert that has the city on lockdown.

Under the alert – the highest in a four-tiered, colour-coded warning system – outdoor construction sites are ordered to close, and some schools are urged to do so as well, with several Beijing residents saying their children had been told to stay at home.

Cars with even and odd number license plates will alternate daily in using the city’s roads, they explained. Heavy vehicles, including garbage trucks, are banned from the streets.

There have been some improvements in air quality in Beijing in the past year, but readings of the most risky particles, PM2.5, were up to 12 times the level considered safe.

Enacted in 2013, China’s air pollution response system has never reached its highest level of “red” before. 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. However, those had been forecast to last three days or less, so they did not trigger a red alert.

According to the U.S. embassy classification, anything beyond 300 is categorized “Hazardous” warranting people to take preventive measures like avoiding outdoor exposure.

Schools and factories are supposed to remain closed for two more days days until a cold snap comes in and – hopefully – pushes out the pollution.

According to The Guardian, 34-year-old Wang Renzheng has been seen walking along the streets of Beijing claiming that he is not doing any scientific research rather aiming to instigate consciousness of the extremely unsafe effects of smog that is engulfing China.

While many Beijing residents took their concerns for the smog and recent red alert to the internet, for not issuing an earlier alert for last weeks exceeding hazardous and heavy smog.

To try to ensure the effectiveness of anti-pollution measures, the environmental protection authorities of Beijing, Hebei and Tianjin are collaborating on a joint law enforcement action for the first time.

Office worker Cao Yong commented: “This is modern life for Beijing people”.

“It is a sharp warning to us that we may have too much development at the price of environment and it is time for us to seriously deal with air pollution”, said Fan Jinglong, a hotel employee.

Chinese social media commentators also pointed to the fact that no red alert was issued when the readings touched 634 a week ago.

The impacts of the China red smog alert and other efforts made by the country to go green are not immediately apparent.