Along with limiting cars to driving every other day depending on the last number of their license plate, a raft of other restrictions will seek to reduce the amount of dust and other particulate matter in the city of 22.5 million people.
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With the U.S. Embassy’s air pollution monitor (somebody has to do it) reading 291 micrograms of tiny particles per cubic meter on Tuesday morning local time, that meant the Beijing air had a pollution index of over ten times the maximum level recommended by the World Health Organisation, which is 25.
China’s greenhouse gas emissions mostly come from coal-burning power plants which produce about 60 percent of its electricity and much of its heating.
“This week in Paris, China is rightfully getting credit for its policies to tackle climate change”, Alex Wang, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, who studies Chinese environmental policy, said in the New York Times article.
In contrast, in India’s New Delhi – the world’s most polluted capital – government schools remained open, although some global schools stopped pupils going outside.
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, December 8, 2015.
One bus manufacturer, they wrote, had reduced production from 30 vehicles a day to around six.
Beijing’s environmental protection bureau defines heavy pollution as anything above 200.
“Can we apply to work at home?”.
Users of Chinese social media, Weibo, criticize authorities saying, “The government is incompetent in managing the air pollution, but the people have to pay for this?”
In cities where air pollution isn’t tracked or data isn’t publicly available, the startup uses large-scale simulation models to estimate pollutants from meteorological research and how that pollution might move.
The decision to issue the red alert despite relatively low pollution numbers also provoked ridicule.
The red alert caused disruption for some parents, who had to scramble Monday evening to find alternative childcare arrangements.
He says someone offered $1600 to buy one brick, but it’s not for sale.
Traffic, however, appeared lighter than usual. But this time, it prompted the government to issue a “red alert”, shutting down schools, construction sites, and keeping half of the city’s vehicles off the roads.
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“If you are engaging in outdoor activities you should wear a mask or take other protective measures”.
