The level of PM2.5, which refers to air pollutants with diameters smaller than 2.5 microns and can go deep into the lungs when inhaled, was at 15 micrograms per cubic meter as of 4 p.m. Thursday, down from 207 micrograms from the previous day. The article can be found here.
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After China’s first pollution “red alert” this week, the government is regulating the number of cars on roads.
Edited from source by Joseph Green.
Over 100 million people are estimated to live in the capital area of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, accounting for 10 percent of the country’s GDP.
“I am contemplating (an electric car) as the brand new policy means electric cars are not restricted from driving on significant pollution days while other kinds are”, said Wang Chao, 26, sizing up electric vehicles at a BYD Co Ltd (1211.HK) (002594.SZ) auto dealer on Wednesday.
Beijing and much of the country has has been blighted by chronic air pollution for years, and the capital’s red alert coincided with global climate change talks in Paris, where China is in the spotlight as the world’s biggest polluter. China’s Association of Automobile Manufacturers said the market had grown 290% through October compared to 2014. “There are enterprises that close while you check them and open soon after you leave”, he said. However, EVs are not banned during red-alert days, and this perk made dealerships busier than normal.
Social media posts about this air pollution read as one traveller posted how the central province of Hubei and every city in northern China are covered by smog and looking like dead towns.
During a four-day joint inspection starting on Dec 6, the three focused on companies in major polluting industries like power generation, iron and steel and cement.
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A red alert triggers restrictions on vehicles while schools are closed, businesses recommended to allow flexible hours and the government advises that all “large-scale, outdoor activity” be stopped.
