THE Beijing city government issued its first-ever “red alert” for smog on December 7th. Schools were closed, outdoor construction halted, car use limited and some factories shut until the air quality improved. The first reaction of many Chinese online was fury. The second was scepticism. The concentrations of small particulates—the worst kind for human health—had been far greater only the previous week, when no such procedures were put in place.
Many were cross that traffic use was still being blamed for the pollution, rather than the belching factories and coal-fired power stations that feed and power the economies of Beijing and surrounding provinces. Some even fretted that school closures would make their children fall behind with their studies. Concerns spread far beyond the capital: the special measures in Beijing were not replicated in any other city, even those where the air quality was far worse.
The fear and cynicism had some basis. Beijingers and other city-dwellers have long suffered fume- and dust-filled air....Continue reading
Source: China http://ift.tt/1Y121wk
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