Red is considered the color of prosperity and good fortune in China for centuries, and it is also the color of the Communist Party. But this week, the color has acquired a darker meaning here as it began to symbolize the failure of the party to contain the toxic fog that regularly puts at risk the health of hundreds of millions of people in the north.
The Beijing government sounded its first red alert air pollution on the night of Monday, leading many of the 22 million inhabitants of the city to exercise caution until Thursday, when strong winds dispersed the fog. The emergency measures ended at noon.
The statement was like a war warning siren: sales of masks and air purifiers soared and parents kept their children indoors during the mandatory closure of schools.
The behavior has changed as well as the mentality, in other moments like the touches that occur regularly since 2012, when the party began to relax its tight control of information about air quality.
Since then, crucial decisions taken every few months by high Chinese officials increased public awareness about environmental degradation afflicting the nation, and have given people more tools to evaluate methods to protect themselves. But these decisions -the red alert and most recently also raise questions about whether the party is up to the Herculean challenge to clear the middle of China environment.
In no other subject President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders are forced to walk in a line so thin, between the control of the information that has the potential to undermine their legitimacy and their distribution to citizens increasingly anxious, they consider essential these revelations . And as it grows awareness of their toxic environment, people are demanding fundamental solutions, not just red alert periods that result in inconveniences.
The temporary effects of the emergency measures sought to obtain not materialized: despite the plant closures and traffic tight control, pollution haze remained severe in Beijing until strong northern winds dispersed. In turn, this has made millions south of the capital suffered air more polluted.
"I do not care about the warning system," said Kan Tingting, a cafe manager who remained at home with her 3 year old daughter on Tuesday. "It's pointless if you ask me, why not solve any real problem. No real progress will occur until all factories and change the rotation of cars from becoming permanent."
The carvery which Kan was referring was part of the emergency measures and aimed to keep about half the fleet of 5 million Beijing's cars off the road. Although some drivers have complained and even violated the rule, others, such as Kan, they said they want to become permanent, to reduce pollution and relieve the congested streets of Beijing.
Academics and environmentalists feel the same way that Kan, saying that despite the party's progress on environmental transparency, something that benefits ordinary Chinese, the real test is whether it will be able to address the problem of roots, which in the case of air pollution It is the industrial use of coal, a crucial component of rapid economic growth. Vehicle emissions are another major source of pollutants.
"The alert system is only as a buffer -dando to the public the ability to protect from pollution and adopting emergency measures to rapidly reduce pollution," said Alex Wang, a professor of law at the University of California, Los Angeles, studying environmental policy of China. "-some More extensive changes in the regulatory system already which are still underway are required to correct the problem once and for all."
Wang said that positive action by the authorities with regard to transparency and reporting of pollution data were necessary for the evolution of the regulatory system.
China greatly expanded its disclosure of data on air quality a few years ago, in response to popular outrage with extreme levels of pollution in many cities, "he said." This has increased public awareness and turned 'MP 2.5' in a term known in China. In the long term, accurate monitoring data are the basis for regulatory changes needed to reduce pollution and protect human health. "
2.5 MP refers to fine particulate matter, deadly, which can enter the bloodstream through the lungs. Beijing began publishing real-time data on PM 2.5 to the public in 2012, after years of increasing pressure from prominent residents, who used online platforms to make demands.
The air quality in Beijing in the first half of this year improved compared to the same period in 2014, with average levels of PM 2.5 falling by 15%, according to the state news agency "Xinhua".
The red alert this week was the latest measure seeking to relax the discussion of the risks and enable citizens to express their frustrations. Beijing authorities even thanked the residents of Beijing for their response, writing in an open letter on Thursday: "The dedication and full support of the Beijing population deeply touched."
Authorities raised the alert just a week after being widely criticized for inaction over a period of several days of dirty air take northern China, while Xi met with other leaders in Paris for negotiations of climate change.
"It shows that this time, finally, the government is ready to tackle the problem," said Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, a non-governmental organization. "It is an important step towards reaching a solution to this problem."
People question whether the government in Beijing will continue to raise the red alert according to the air crisis policy announced in 2013 and revised this year. The policy requires authorities to do so whenever lifting forecast air quality index above 200 for 72 consecutive hours. If the authorities had declared red every time code since 2013 when the index met that criterion, they would have done it eight times in a total of 36 days, according to data analysis by local authors of a popular phone application for air quality.
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