China Issues Red Alert For Smog In Beijing, Tianjin

[hatrack]

Beijing's city government has issued a red alert for severely high levels of air pollution in the city for three days from December 17 to 21, according to a post on the Beijing environmental protection bureau's official Weibo account.

The incoming smog was due to an accumulation of air pollution in Beijing and surrounding areas, including Tianjin city and Hebei, Shandong and Hunan provinces, the post said, citing forecasts from the China Environmental Monitoring Center.

A colour-graded warning system of alerts was introduced in China's capital city last year as part of the government vow to crackdown on environmental degradation following decades of unbridled economic growth.

Beijing's first ever red alert was issued in December last year, temporarily closing schools and halting construction in the city.

EDIT

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/beijing-city-air-pollution-red-alert-incoming-smog-china-capital-a7476496.html

[liberal N proud]

1. I recall the first time I flew into Beijing, you couldn't see the terminal until the plane was

At the gate. The sky was greenish-yellow. When I got to the hotel, you could see a faint outline of the buildings across the street. The next day our driver picked us up to drive us to Tianjin.

My hotel room was on the 23rd floor, you could look out over the orange haze hanging over the city.