The warning was the first time Beijing has raised the “red alert” since emergency air pollution plans were introduced two years ago, although levels of pollution have been much higher in the past.
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Gao Yuanli, 35, told CNN that the smog frequently made her life hard.
Under the red alert, all heavy vehicles are banned, 30 percent of vehicles are taken off the roads, most schools are closed, businesses are urged to implement flexible working hours and large-scale outdoor activities should be cancelled. According to The Times, particulate matter in some parts of the city exceeded 40 times the levels recommended by the World Health Organization. London’s air is unhealthy to breathe.
Cars with even and odd number license plates will alternate daily in using the city’s roads, they explained.
“We have no choice but to step up preventative measures like wearing a mask outdoors at all times”, he said. Still, fifth-grader Jason Zhang – who had to miss school because of the red alert – said the situation was “so bad”. Extra subway trains and buses would be added to help cope with the additional strain on public transport.
At 9am in Beijing on Tuesday, official pollution index reported a level of 261, which was higher than the 250 index reported by weather monitors at the USA embassy in Beijing. But what Ive seen inside is that there are no students in there and only a handful of teachers.
Pollution is not just a problem for Beijing, environmental activist Ma Jun pointed out. “Smog surely highlight the urgency of dealing with climate change and consolidate our resolution to resolve it”, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.
Zhang also said it was “kind of weird” that a red alert had not been issued last week when the pollution was even worse. The alert requires a forecast of more than 72 straight hours with PM2.5 levels of 200 micrograms per cubic meter or more.
According to Gizmodo, China is having lots of trouble lately with air quality.
Most of China’s greenhouse gas emissions come from burning coal for electricity and heating, which increases when demand peaks in winter, and is the main cause of smog.
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China still depends on coal for more than 60% of its power, despite major investment in renewable energy sources.
