Beijing doubles air monitoring in response to choking smog

摘要

Beijing will ramp up air quality monitoring efforts after severe pollution blanketed the city, prompting authorities to issue the city's first smog "red alert" earlier this week. Industrial growth and an increase in car ownership have led to increased levels of air pollution in major cities, which reached peak levels this week, causing schools to close, businesses to issue flexible hours and a call for all "large-scale, outdoor activity" to be stopped. In response, the city will double the number of air-quality monitoring stations from 36 and will release "mobile monitoring vehicles," said Beijing Vice Mayor Li Shixiang.