2015年CRI China Reinforces Quick Response Measures for Smog

 

Municipal authorities in Beijing announced plans to upgrade from orange to red on Monday night, marking the first-ever time a red-alert has been issued for Beijing since the 4-tiered color-coded system for smog was instituted 3-years ago. 

The red-alert comes after the capital region was given just few days rest from the smog, after having to cope with orange-alert conditions just 4-days before.

By sounding the red-alert, a series of automatic measures kick-in, including the odd-even license¹ plate restrictions² to keep half the vehicles in Beijing off the roads. 

Li Lifeng with the Beijing Public Transport Commission says more public transit³ has been added to help keep the city moving the next few days. 

"Starting this Tuesday, we have added 840-vehicles on the key lines. This has increased public transport capacity by 15-thousand vehicles per day." 

As part of the red-alert, which officially began at 7 this Tuesday morning, its being recommended schools advise their students to stay home. 

Xian Lianping, head of Beijing's municipal education commission, says the request is voluntary. 

"Parents who don't have time to be with their children during the day can still send their kids to school. But we recommend students take part in indoor activities and study at home. Most students have chosen to stay at home and study online with their teachers. Because this is the first red alert in Beijing, and we are hoping to learn from this experience to do more to improve the system so that we will be more prepared if this happens again." 

At the same time, industrial facilities have also been ordered to close or severely⁴ curtail⁵ their output. 

Outdoor construction projects in the city have also been shut down under the red-alert. 

The red-alert in Beijing comes on the heels of the Ministry⁶ of Environmental Protection announcing the creation of an emission⁷ permit system this past week. 

Under the program, any new industrial facilities being built and operated will have to adhere to the limits they've qualified⁸ for when it comes to air, water and solid waste output. 

Bi Jun with School for the Environment at Nanjing University says the permit system is more targeted than the previous approval process.

"Through the new system, we have a much better idea of how much pollution is being discharged into the environment, and better ensure that emissions⁹ are meeting the standards we set for individual operations. If we can get all companies under the permit certification process, it will go a long way toward ensuring our environment is better-protected." 

In addition to the steps being taken in Beijing during this 'red-alert,' neighboring Hebei and Henan are taking similar steps to keep the air in their provinces clean.

Factories in those provinces are being required to reduce dust, sulfur¹⁰ dioxide and nitric oxide¹¹ emissions by at least 15-percent. 

On top of this, fleets of sprinkler vehicles are also on the streets in Hebei and Henan to try to knock down the pollution still being pumped out. 

This current bout¹² of smog in the greater-Beijing region is the 2nd so far this month, and is expected to linger until Thursday. 

Coal-fired electricity generation, as well as vehicle exhaust, are said to be the main factors driving up pollution levels across the region. 

For CRI, this is Li Jianhua.

1 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

2 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

3 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

4 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

5 curtail   

vt.截短，缩短；削减

参考例句：

• The government hopes to curtail public spending.政府希望缩减公共事业开支。
• The minister had to curtail his visit.部长不得不缩短访问日期。

6 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

7 emission   

n.发出物，散发物；发出，散发

参考例句：

• Rigorous measures will be taken to reduce the total pollutant emission.采取严格有力措施，降低污染物排放总量。
• Finally,the way to effectively control particulate emission is pointed out.最后，指出有效降低颗粒排放的方向。

8 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

9 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

10 sulfur   

n.硫，硫磺（=sulphur）

参考例句：

• Sulfur emissions from steel mills become acid rain.炼钢厂排放出的硫形成了酸雨。
• Burning may produce sulfur oxides.燃烧可能会产生硫氧化物。

11 oxide   

n.氧化物

参考例句：

• Oxide is usually seen in our daily life.在我们的日常生活中氧化物很常见。
• How can you get rid of this oxide coating?你们该怎样除去这些氧化皮？

12 bout   

n.侵袭，发作；一次(阵，回)；拳击等比赛

参考例句：

• I was suffering with a bout of nerves.我感到一阵紧张。
• That bout of pneumonia enfeebled her.那次肺炎的发作使她虚弱了。