Beijing announces red alert

CHINESE authorities have issued a pollution red alert in Beijing in an emergency announcement on Monday December 7. The move is anticipated to last for three days and will result in the closure of schools, restricted car use and a curb on outside construction.

Just last week Beijing residents choked on thick smog with levels rising to 40 times the safe limit according to the World Health Organisation. The government was criticised for failing to issue a red alert at the time and today´s decision will provide complex challenges for a city of 23 million people and 5 million cars. 

Smog levels in major international cities are becoming a higher cause of concern with more frequent incidences of major health threats.

In Madrid the local government has enacted anti-pollution measures twice in the past month alone with parking bans and tougher speed limits in place to mitigate the thick layers of smog which have descended on the Spanish capital. 

Earlier this year the Eiffel Tower was shrouded in a cloud of smog as emergency measures were introduced across Paris. The city was the site of last week´s climate change talks which failed to make significant progress in building a solid international consensus on how to tackle the global problem.