“We have to stand in the open for many hours a day, and the pollution really affects us”.
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The pollution spike is a reminder of China’s severe environmental challenges as President Xi Jinping joins other world leaders at the Paris climate conference.
As a thick blanket of smog enveloped China’s capital, the government issued its highest air-pollution alert of 2015 after a reading for PM 2.5, poisonous particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, spiked to over 600 micrograms per cubic meter in the city, according to a U.S. Embassy monitor. Temperatures are now much lower than usual for the time of year in northern China, which has seen the poor light coal fires and the more wealthy switch on central heating powered by electricity from coal-fuelled power stations.
On Tuesday, Beijing schools were ordered to stop outdoor activities.
Communist leaders have tightened emissions standards over the years and are increasingly investing in renewable sources of energy, but China continues to depend chiefly on coal for at least 60 percent of its power.
Tests found coal burning to be to blame for the bulk of the latest pollution surge, the official Xinhua News Agency said, citing Zhang Dawei, head of the city’s environmental monitoring center. Earlier this year, China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection said the most polluted cities in the country were in Hebei.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a maximum concentration 25 micrograms of the harmful microscopic particles per cubic meter to avoid serious damage to lung tissue. For the entire month, the capital saw hardly any blue skies and was shrouded in persistent smog. Certain sections on a highway outside the capital also had to be closed on account of the lack of visibility, the Transportation Ministry said.
The air quality worsened on Friday and continued to deteriorate throughout the weekend, prompting the city government to issue an orange alert on Sunday.
An unfortunate combination of weather conditions has also helped trap pollutants, according to meteorologists – cold air closer to the ground resulting from thawing snow reduced the mobility of airborne pollutants.
Under an orange alert, the second-highest level in the country’s four-tier warning system, residents are urged to stay indoors, large vehicle are banned and factories are required to reduce production.
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It is expected that strong cold air moving from west to east will blow away the air pollutants in the capital and neighboring regions on December 2.
