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Mark Ralston / AFP - Getty Images
A smoggy Beijing day is seen last Dec. 5, and compared to a clear one on Aug. 18.
Beijing officials said Friday they'll be publishing more detailed smog readings -- a win for residents and their unusual ally: the U.S. Embassy.
The announcement comes after the embassy took to tweeting hourly air quality readings from a monitor atop its Beijing compound. Twitter.com/beijingair has nearly 16,800 followers and is being used in an iPhone app that reaches many others.
That data became fodder for angry residents who in recent weeks have been demanding more accurate readings. Days where buildings a few blocks away can't be seen have often been described by Beijing officials as "light" pollution.
The stricter standards will now monitor tiny floating particles -- 2.5 micrometers in diameter or less, known as PM2.5 -- that doctors warn can more easily settle in the lungs and cause respiratory problems and other illnesses.
A long-standing point of contention for Beijing residents was the government's unwillingness to disclose measures for PM2.5.
STORY: China starts to accept 'fog' is smog
The director of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau was quoted in the Beijing Daily as saying that the agency would provide the readings of the PM2.5 standard starting from the Chinese New Year, which falls on Jan. 23 this year.
China's environmental ministry earlier said it would factor PM2.5 into national air quality standards, but not until 2016.
This post includes reporting from msnbc.com staff and Reuters.
Leave a Comment:
Now lets see China do something to fix its polution problem...
Its all the coal they are burning for power and they keep building more coal buring plants. The issue is gloable warming and stopping co2 and the other green house gases. Its been said the gloable warming is running away and unable to be stopped.
Maybe china gets with the program and gives its people better rights, the USA would open tech trading for debt relef and we could build nuke power plants for them. Drive oil prices so high that it would be too costly for developing countries to make a staple and use other elecro cars and such, this would cut GH gases I believe.
Being a major global polluter, I don't think they r going to do it any time soon. Why, trying to develop further for the money, no country is willing to make that sacrifice. That's why the back tracking global warming hits so many road blocks.
Why don't we teach the third world countries to develop green technologies and industries so they can be green and help out those countries that are not and cash in with it?
They will fix the problem. At least the US is doing something productive and providing inputs and stuff like that instead of flaming and doing exaggerated talk.
It is time for Beijing government to at least show accurate data. The smog seems real though. They need to go clean energy.
it would be nice if the usa led the way and reaped the economic benifits.
But isn't China the model we are supposed to be aiming at? Aren't they the new global superpower and model of effeciency, drive and economic growth?
Let's see if the momentum can be kept up AND be more environmentally friendly.
If Rick Perry or any of the other GOP hopefuls were to gain the presidency we may as well buy stock in those little breathing things we see them walking around wearing all the time, as they get rid of the evil liberal socialist empire commonly known as the EPA.
Interestingly, after spending a few days in San Francisco and enduring the cold Christmas WITHOUT being able to burn firewood....one should question if all the clean air laws and regulations they ALREADY have are effective?
Careful, China! Regulations will drive all the jobs to Africa, South America, and Russia!
Hehe, the job creators will see their shadows.
Yes, it is coal-fired electrical generation from a lower-grade coal but it is also heavy industry like steel plants without pollution-control systems required here.
I've seen the Beijing smog look much worse than than picture shown in this article; frequently!
Has to be impacting their public health in a major way.
I was offered a job to move there but I wouldn't take my family to live in that pollution.
As far as China has existed, the government have been pulling wool over it's citizen and the world. Lip service is priority action comes later half heartedly.
Its got to be a global effort to be more green. Greed is the way of the world in every part of the world. Our real hope are the people that are doing something about this world not so much the big players. When the nations get together to discuss GREENER WAYS they need to make sure these implements are completed KIND OF LIKE THE DISARMAMENT OF NUCLEAR BOMBS WITH RUSSIA....
GREED WILL TAKE THIS WORLD....goodbye
Boycott Products made in China.
They are not allies with the US, but conversley they hack into the US' DoD everyday, stealing Military Technologies, and secrets for their Giant military build. As we continue to buy their cheaply made products from Walmart/ SAMS, we continue to fund their Military and Economy while ours here at home suffers.
Next time you're in a store, check the made in Tag. If it says made in China, put it back and find a different country.