This week saw pollution levels so high that the government was forced to declare the first red alert.
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“We designed a set of exercises specially for smoggy weather to keep students fit”, said He.
An online notice from the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau said it issued the alert to “protect public health and reduce levels of heavy air pollution”.
According to the city’s emergency management officials, during a red alert, schools are advised to suspend classes, outdoor operations of construction sites are banned and some industrial plants are required to limit or stop production.
Automakers including Tesla Motors and Beijing Automotive Group’s [BEJINS.UL] electric vehicle subsidiary say they have seen an uptick in potential buyers asking about pure electric cars in Beijing because of the pollution – though many don’t dare leave home to do so. At the time that the alert went out, the density of PM 2.5 particles, which is a common measure of air quality, was 10 times the maximum level recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
This is the first time a red alert status has been applied to the city’s air pollution since a four-tier (blue, yellow, orange and red) system was adopted in 2013.
At Ele.me, an online food delivery company, anti-smog face masks passed spicy chicken burgers as the product requested most by customers in Beijing, said a company spokesman, Zou Yang.
The capital’s hazardous smog has persisted despite the Chinese government’s stated priority of cleaning up the legacy of pollution left from years of full-tilt economic growth.
Many drivers continued to defy the vehicle restrictions 3,690 vehicles were found in violation of the even-odd license plate policy in Beijing on Tuesday and a number of schools chose to open despite a board of education order to remain closed through Thursday.
A Watson-like forecaster from IBM Research (China) called Green Horizons not only forecasts pollution to mitigate its effects, but also forecasts energy usage in energy-stressed cities in order to better integrate renewable energy sources without the need for grid-scale batteries.
When the U.S. Embassy in Beijing began issuing pollution readings several years ago, Chinese state media – and many ordinary Chinese – accused Ambassador Gary Locke of “meddling” in the nation’s internal affairs or seeking to embarrass the Communist Party.
Most of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the burning of coal for electricity and heating – particularly when demand peaks in winter – which is also the key cause of smog.
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This is what it looks like when you vacuum air pollution.
