20151209 BBC_First person: Family evacuated from Beijing as threat looms

At the age of 4, my daughter has become an environmental refugee.

To escape the heavy smog that started to blanket the capital city late Monday, my mother-in-law, 63, and my little girl, accompanied by my husband, boarded the train early Tuesday morning for my hometown of Nanjing, an eastern city about 1,000 kilometers away.

Unlike traditional tragic refugee trips, the journey was a happy one. Having no idea of all the possible hazards that smog could cause to her, my daughter appeared very chirpy at the railway station for being able to skip kindergarten for a few days, and in Nanjing, she could see her beloved grandmother.

"It's like a holiday. I like it!" she said.

"Do you know why Mom is sending you away?" I asked.

"It's so dirty here. The sky doesn't wash its face these days."

I'm now the only person in my family staying in Beijing. As expected, I will endure the smog for another two days, and possibly some more days when a new round of smog hits the city starting this weekend.

Sending my family away was a rush decision. After the red alert came on Monday evening, it took us five minutes to make the decision, another five minutes to book the train tickets by mobile phone, and 30 minutes to pack. At 6 am on Tuesday, while the sky was still dark, they departed.

"We cannot make any change (to the air quality), but we can escape," my husband said.

And I'm not alone. A friend of mine took her 2-year-old son to Shanghai on Tuesday, and another friend flew with her 10-year-old daughter to the southern city of Guangzhou, where a lovely safari park is located.

Travel agencies said there's an uptick in demand. Ctrip.com, an online travel service, said its sales of "Skip the Smog" packages have seen a 20 percent rise among Beijing residents. The trips range from nearby cities to as far away as Southeast Asian countries.

As the capital of China and an ancient city world famous for its Forbidden City and Great Wall, Beijing is now losing some appeal due to the lingering air pollution problem. Some of my friends, who were scared by the previous round of smog that pushed the city's PM2.5 reading above 1,000 micrograms per cubic meter last week, are seriously considering moving abroad.

"I know the government is making great efforts to improve the air quality and it is taking effect, but the progress will be slow and the harm is unalterable," said a college classmate of mine, who now runs a small private equity fund in Beijing and is considering going to the United States for investment immigration.

"I don't want any of my family members to end up with lung cancer."

I'm also starting to ponder whether settling in this city 15 years ago, amid the admiration and envy of my friends back in Nanjing, was a good choice.

At that time, I came to Beijing for the abundant chances brought by the country's rapid development, and now I'm sending my child away due to the consequences of this growth.

20151208 BBC_China smog red alert

http://www.bbc.com/weather/features/35031258

Beijing on red alert as smog levels soar but Delhi branded the most polluted city as particulates build up over the city.

The Indian government has announced it will restrict the number of cars it will allow in the capitals streets to try to reduce the chocking smog.

20151208 China Daily_Beijing issues first red alert for heavy air pollution

The CCTV headquarters is shrouded in heavy smog in the central business district in Beijing, China Dec 7, 2015.[Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING -- Beijing has upgraded its alert for air pollution from orange to red, the most serious level, on Monday afternoon.

This is the first time the capital has issued the red alert, which will last from 7:00 a.m. Tuesday to 12:00 pm Thursday.

Beijing's Education Commission has decided to suspend classes in all elementary and middle schools, kindergartens and extracurricular training schools during the alert. Teachers are encouraged to give learning advices to students via Internet and other communication tools.

Car use will be limited as cars are allowed on the roads on alternating days depending on the odd or even numbers of their license plates. In addition, 30 percent of government cars will be banned from streets on an odd/even basis.

According to the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center, heavy air pollution will linger until Thursday. It is expected to disperse Thursday afternoon as a cold front arrives.

This is the first time Beijing has issued a red alert for smog since 2013 when Beijing adopted an emergency response program for air pollution.

Four-tier alerts--blue, yellow, orange and red--will be issued on "heavy pollution" days. Red alert, the highest, will be issued for heavy pollution that is expected to last more than three days.

According to the city's emergency management headquarters, during a red alert, kindergartens, primary and high schools are advised to suspend classes, and outdoor operations of construction sites are banned and some industrial plants are required to limit or stop production.

Chinese Environment Minister Chen Jining has vowed to strictly punish agencies or personnel who fail to initiate emergency response plan in a timely manner.

Local environment protection agencies, especially those in Beijing, Tianjing, Hebei, Shandong, Henan and Shanxi which are constantly haunted by air pollution, should examine their emergency response measures and reflect upon deficiencies, said Chen on Sunday at an emergency meeting to cope with the upcoming smoggy days.

Strict standards and practical work styles should be adopted to deal with the upcoming days, he ordered.

The minister asked local governments to initiate appropriate emergency responses according to the highest level of forecasted pollution.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection has dispatched inspection teams to regions with heavy pollution to ensure emergency plans are being launched in time, monitor and control pollution sources such as coal burning, and enhance management on vehicles that cannot meet national emission standards.

A woman walks by a river near the Imperial Palace on a smoggy day in Beijing. [Photo by Zou Hong/Asianewsphoto] Buildings are pictured amid heavy smog in Beijing, China, Dec 7, 2015.[Photo/Xinhua]

20151204 China Daily_Two more spells of smog predicted to sweep North China

Cities in North China are forecast to experience another two spells of smog in the coming weeks due to windless weather, but not as severe as the one that enveloped Beijing since Nov 27, the national weather authority said on Thursday.

The first spell is expected to arrive on Tuesday and last for three days before a new cold front arrives, said Liu Hongli, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences.

He added after the wind, a second spell of smog may come between Dec 14 and 16, covering the vast region of northern China including Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province.

Xue Jianjun, senior engineer of the National Meteorological Center agreed, adding that the two spells of smog would occur between the intervals in wind, and southern cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region may have severe air pollution during them.

On average, the trilateral region will not have smog as severe as that which covered the region late last month until the wind dispersed pollutants on Wednesday, Xue said.

The capital has seen the concentration of PM2.5 – particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 microns – off the charts, exceeding 945 micrograms per cubic meter on Sunday.

The national safety level for the PM2.5 concentration is 75 micrograms per cubic meter.

20151204_China Daily_Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei govts to cooperate on emissions control

Environmental officials ensure production is suspended at a concrete mixing plant in Tongzhou district in Beijing on Monday as the city suffered from severe pollution. LIU CHANG/CHINA DAILY

The heavily polluted cluster of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province signed a cooperation framework on Thursday to control air, water and soil pollution, marking a breakthrough in regional integration, according to a statement released by the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau.

The move set up a new joint coordination system to curb serious smog, and included a plan to create the first unified regulation on the control and prevention of environmental pollution in the region as a whole－including plans for the management of industries likely to affect air, water, soil and solid waste, said Li Lixin, head of the bureau's regional cooperation department.

In addition, the trilateral region will develop standards for emissions. Beijing currently has stricter standards than Hebei and Tianjin for emissions in major polluting industries and for vehicle exhaust.

The three will also conduct joint monitoring and inspections and share information on an environmental monitoring network, Li said.

Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province have faced severe air pollution since 2013. The recent spell of smog that settled in to the region last week underlined the governments' need to take action quickly.

Half of the air pollutants in Beijing come from neighboring cities, Liu Hongli, associate researcher at the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, said on Thursday. Without effective regional control, it's hard to control the smog, he said.

In recent days, the capital saw the concentration of PM2.5 go off the air index charts, exceeding 945 micrograms per cubic meter on Sunday. The national safety level for PM2.5－particulate matter with a diameter less than 2.5 microns that poses health hazards to humans－is 75 micrograms per cubic meter.

In December, the trilateral region is forecast to have another two spells of heavy haze because of windless weather, but not as hazardous as the recent one that lingered until Wednesday, the national weather authority said.

The first spell is expected on Tuesday and will likely last for three days before a new cold front will again bring wind to North China, Liu said.

He added that a second spell of smog might come between Dec 14 and 16, covering a vast region of northern China.

Xue Jianjun, senior engineer at the National Meteorological Center, said the two spells of smog will occur between intervals of wind, and the southern cities in the region may experience severe smog.

Polluters to pay for damage

China will start a compensation system for ecological damage in some pilot provinces by the end of this year, with a view toward expanding it to the whole country in 2018 if successful.

The State Council published the pilot plan, the first national regulation of its kind, on Thursday, saying the system will be tried and improved as needed.

Provincial governments can ask for compensation when natural resources within their jurisdictions have been damaged. Companies, organizations or individuals responsible for the pollution will bear the burden of compensation.

Pollution caused by the mistakes of decision-makers in governments will be excluded.

Under the plan, compensation would cover the costs of environmental remediation and any economic losses arising from the cleanup process itself or any permanent losses.

Financial institutions such as banks will also be the targets of compensation if they give polluters loans knowing the risks of ecological damage.

The pilot plan also out-lines a process for governments to file lawsuits, make assessment reports and create rules to strengthen management after receiving compensation.

20150318 China Daily_Shanghai prepares for clean air

Authorities say PM2.5 remains a big problem as it outlines 100 billion yuan action plan

Woman wear face masks on the Bund in front of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower during a hazy day in downtown Shanghai January 26, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

Shanghai plans to invest 100 billion yuan ($16 billion) in its environmental protection drive for the coming three years, while reducing the concentration of PM2.5 by at least 20 percent from the level in 2013.

Those are part of the targets the municipal government outlined in an action plan for the period between 2015 and 2017.

One of the highlights of the plan, released on Tuesday, is the increase of capital invested to improve the environment from the average of 21.3 billion yuan in the past 15 years to an average of 33.3 billion yuan committed for the upcoming three years.

Improvements in air quality, water and the ecology will be the focus of the plan.

Measures to fight smog, for example, include shifting the coal-burning boilers and industrial furnaces to clean fuels, transforming power generators to reduce their emissions, phasing out high-polluting vehicles and putting in place further control on dust at construction sites.

Those efforts are expected to help reduce emissions of sulfur dioxide by 20,000 metric tons nitrogen oxide by 40,000 tons and volatile organic compounds by 100,000 tons.

Yang Xin, a professor at Fudan University's department of environmental science and engineering, called the action plan practical, saying that the government is moving in the right direction to address the biggest concerns of the public regarding the environment.

"In 2014, we saw a big drop in the concentration level of PM2.5 from the previous year," he said. "That makes the goal of a 20 percent reduction by 2017 not that difficult."

A man wears a face mask while walking on the Bund in front of the financial district of Pudong, during a hazy day in downtown Shanghai January 25, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

But the government needs to do more to make the public clearly see the improvement in the environment, he said.

"Lowering PM2.5 levels by 20 percent means a huge reduction of its harm on people's health. But it won't bring along great improvement in the visibility of the air, and visibility actually is the main benchmark for the public to judge air quality," he added.

Public perception

Most Shanghai residents questioned on Tuesday said air pollution worsened in 2014, though monitoring data suggested there was an improvement of air quality compared with 2013.

"I didn't feel an improvement at all. We often saw a gray sky caused by the smog," said 24-year-old Yu Canglong.

In the action plan, authorities admitted that PM2.5 and air pollution remain prominent problems, despite the overall improving environment in the city.

For the upcoming three years, the government also vowed to reduce the number of highly polluted water bodies, raise forestation coverage from 13.5 percent to 15.5 percent, and build a sewage disposal system for 90 percent of waste water in urban areas.

On the national level, the country is set to focus efforts this year on fully implementing the revised Environmental Protection Law, which took effect on Jan 1.

No one must use his power to meddle with law enforcement, Premier Li Keqiang said on Sunday at a news conference following the closing of the annual session of the nation's top legislature.

"All acts of illegal production and emissions will be brought to account. We will make the cost for doing so too high to bear," he said.

20141020 BBC_Beijing marathon runners don masks to cope with smog

Half marathon runner Chas Pope describes conditions in Beijing

Continue reading the main story

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Thousands of runners have taken part in the 34th Beijing International Marathon, many wearing face masks amid concerns about pollution.

The organisers warned runners to expect slight or moderate smog, but the US embassy in Beijing said air quality early on Sunday was "hazardous".

One resident in the city told the BBC that the air smelt like burnt coal.

Estimates said that pollution soared above the maximum recommended World Health Organization levels.

China has for years been hit by severe air pollution

Runner Chas Pope has posted pictures on the internet of his mask before and after the marathon

The WHO says daily pollution levels should not exceed an average of 25 micrograms per cubic metre of fine particulate matter.

Yet the US embassy's monitor at one point reported peaks of up to 400 micrograms per cubic metre, which it said would be hazardous if a human was exposed to it over a 24-hour period.

Fine particulate matter, the kind of pollution in smoke, damages the body as it moves deep into the lungs and can even enter the bloodstream.

'Should have been cancelled'

Some athletes gave up the race because of the pollution.

British runner Chas Pope tweeted that he was only able to do 10km (6 miles) of the race in a mask before he was forced to pull out.

He said that race should have been cancelled because the air quality was "not suitable for outdoor activities".

Ethiopia's Girmay Birhanu Gebru won the marathon in just over two hours and 10 minutes

Organisers rejected calls to postpone the race despite the haze

Most runners defied the smog to enjoy the race

China's Gong Lihua, who came third in the women's race, said the smog had caused some difficulties.

"Running in this kind of smog, I felt I couldn't sweat well and my body has been very sticky and moist," she said.

Beijing resident Neil Holt told the BBC that although the air quality was better than last year, "it was still very polluted".

"You can hardly see [the stadium] through the smog. It's really hard to breathe when it is like this," he said.

The men's race was won by Ethiopian runner Girmay Birhanu Gebru and another Ethiopian, Fatuma Sado Dergo, won the women's race.

20140109 HKET_灰霾襲珠三角 廣州重度污染

經濟日報 - 空氣污染再襲珠三角地區，昨日廣州珠江新城遭霧霾籠罩，當局啟動環境空氣重污染二級應急響應。

【經濟日報專訊】廣州市昨出現重度污染，首次啟動環境空氣重污染二級應急響應，兩成公務車停駛，市長陳建華改坐地鐵上班。佛山、東莞亦受灰霾波及，珠三角多地污染嚴重。

穗10監控點 8個重度污染

近日（6日）空氣重污染再襲珠三角地區，多個地市出現灰霾天氣。廣州城區全部淪陷為「重度污染」區域：12區（市）中有10區（市）發布黃色灰霾預警訊號，市環境監測中心站10個國控點中，8個空氣質量屬重度污染，29個環境空氣質量信息發布點中，18個空氣質量指數超200。

同日，與廣州相鄰的佛山、東莞、深圳等珠三角城市亦遭受不同程度空氣污染。根據廣東省環境信息綜合發布平台的數據，6日17時，東莞市5個監測點中的4個空氣質量指數超200，呈現重度污染；深圳市區大部分監測點的空氣質量指數亦在130至150之間，呈現輕中度污染。

專家：工地揚塵未控 加重污染

昨日廣州街頭人們掩鼻而行，珠江江面濛濛一片。有專家指出，城區部分工地揚塵防控措施未落實，道路施工未有效採取灑水和覆蓋等措施，是造成廣州近期污染加重的主要原因。

此外，因未來2至3天控制廣州市的冷高壓逐日減弱，大氣層結趨向穩定，不利於污染物擴散，是以空氣質量仍將維持中度污染到重度污染水平。

廣州市環境空氣重污染應急指揮部組織應急專家組，分析廣州當前空氣污染形勢，並預測未來天氣形勢和空氣質量變化趨勢後，決定從昨晨6時起啟動環境空氣重污染二級應急響應，20%公務車將停駛。市長陳建華隨即兌現先前「承諾」，坐地鐵上班。去年陳建華曾在會上明確表態，一旦實施環境應急預案，上班時他將棄公務車而坐地鐵。

港口碼頭防塵 禁放煙花

本次《應急預案》將空氣重污染的預警和應急響應分為兩個等級：當預測環境空氣質量達到重度污染（未來48小時達201至300）時，實施二級預警，以橙色表示，與之相對應即為二級應急響應。

二級應急響應主要包括：停駛20%公務車、不穩定達標污染源停止排放、建設工地暫停含有揮發性有機溶劑的噴塗和粉刷等作業、強化道路保潔、港口碼頭防塵、全面禁止燃放煙花爆竹、全面禁止露天焚燒和燒烤、強化餐飲及加油站監管等11條強制性措施以及倡導調峰生產、錯峰上下班、公交出行、船舶減排等4條建議性措施和1條健康防護措施等。