Looking for clarity to end smog

Environmental experts have been locked in heated discussions on why China's cities keep getting shrouded in smog.

Beijing and other northern cities were again hit by severe air pollution, which many have put down to widespread use of low-quality coal, heavy industrial discharge and vehicle emissions.

The recent smog, which reached its worst level on Dec 9 and cleared on Dec 10, led to officials calling a halt to industrial production and crippled transportation links. In all, more than 300 million people have been affected, the authorities say.

Beijing and the cities of Dingzhou and Xinji in neighboring Hebei province all issued red alerts - the highest warning - for the first time. Tianjin issued an orange alert (the second highest), while lower-level alerts were issued in other parts of Hebei as well as in Henan, Shandong and Shanxi provinces.

Cities have introduced a series of emergency restrictions to combat the smog, ranging from temporarily closing factories to reducing road traffic.

According to the authorities, the main source of pollution in Beijing is vehicle exhaust emissions, in Tianjin it is dust, and in Hebei's Shijiazhuang it is people burning coal.

However, environmental experts and some officials have blamed the smog on the soaring use of coal. Burning of coal is banned in downtown Beijing and some suburban areas, but coal is still being used to heat homes in the countryside.

Local governments have been promoting the use of high-grade coal and less-polluting boilers in rural areas, but experts say the day-to-day situation is hard to monitor.

zhengjinran@chinadaily.com.cn

Women wearing masks and other residents dance during their daily exercise amid the heavy smog in Beijing on Dec 7, the day the capital issued its first-ever red alert for pollution from Dec 8 to 10. Jason Lee / Reuters

Left: A child receives aerosol therapy on Dec 9 at Beijing Children's Hospital, which has seen an increase in respiratory system diseases among youngsters since smog hit the capital recently.Right: Parents adjust their child's mask on a street in Beijing. Photos Provided to China Daily

(China Daily European Weekly 12/11/2015 page4)