Breathless, Speechless

n Tuesday December 1st 2015, Beijing government ordered a shutdown from over hundreds of factories due to the rapidly rising value of PM 2.5. PM 2.5 is a concentrated and harmful microscopic particles that causes many severe health problems, such as decreasing of lung function, and respiratory symptoms. In Beijing, the PM 2.5 reading shows 634 micrograms per cubic meter. It is 25 times the reading recommended by the World Health Organization, which is 25 micrograms per cubic meter.

During the smog, over 30 flights were cancelled, the capital gave students to stay home instead of coming to school. They advised all citizens to stay indoors and not to be engaged in any outdoor activities for the past few days.

Many people criticized China for only issuing an orange alert; level 2 on a 4 colored scale. According to Sina Weibo, an angry citizen said: I think they are concerned about the high costs of a red alert and the difficulties of implementing it.” Even news media criticized the government by saying the air quality was “breathless and speechless.”