Artist Kong Ning wears an orange face mask and dress to highlight concerns over pollution in China.
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The China Central Television (CCTV) building and the Central Business District (CBD) area are seen amid heavy smog after the city issued its first ever “red alert” for air pollution, in Beijing, China, today.
Beijing hotel staffer Fan Jinglong said the smog forecast was “really worrisome”. During this time, schools will be closed, auto usage will be restricted, and outdoor construction and other industrial activities that produce pollutants will be ceased, according to CNN.
Air monitoring in Beijing measured PM2.5 levels climbing toward 300 micrograms per cubic meter on Monday, and they’re expected to get worse throughout the week.
Under the red warning, steps to be taken from Tuesday morning include banning cars with odd and even number plates from driving on alternate days.
This is the second time in the past four weeks that Beijing, a mega-city with 22.5 million people (2.6 times the population of Greater London), has experienced a prolonged period of dense smog.
The highest populated country in the world has alerted its citizens with a smog code red, a signal that indicates more than 72 hours of smog at poisonous levels.
Monday’s bad air, coupled with five days of hazardous pollution on November 27-Dec.
“You have to do whatever you can to protect yourself”, Beijing resident Li Huiwen said while stopping at a market. A forecast of even higher pollution, but lasting only two days, would not trigger the alert. PM2.5 particles are those that are 2.5 micrometers in diameter or smaller.
The Associated Press explains that to determine how much smog is too much, China keeps an eye on risky particles called PM2.5. Hovering above 256, the air could cause serious health problems for patients with heart and lung diseases and also result in an increase in respiratory effects in the general population. The research, conducted by chemist Jos Lelieveld of Germany’s Max Planck Institute, estimated that 1.4 million people die prematurely each year due to the country’s pollution.
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China, the world’s biggest carbon emitter, still depends on coal for more than 60 percent of its power.
