海角大神

As air pollution levels in Beijing hovered between 鈥渉azardous鈥� and 鈥渧ery unhealthy鈥� according to the US embassy鈥檚 monitoring device on Friday, the Beijing city government unveiled a new plan to try to get the capital鈥檚 air quality under control.

Cracking the whip, it promised that whenever the authorities foresee three consecutive days of what they call 鈥渟erious鈥� pollution they will ban half the city鈥檚 cars from the roads.聽

Car exhaust fumes, along with emissions from factories and coal-fired power plants, are a major cause of the heavy pollution that is becoming a serious health hazard for Beijing residents.

But the news of a crackdown is not as good as it looks. The Beijing municipal authorities have set the bar so high that only when pollution is at its choking, eye-watering worst will they limit traffic.

What China calls 鈥渟erious鈥� pollution, measuring over 300 on the Air Quality Index, would be called 鈥渉azardous鈥� in the United States, where citizens would be warned to 鈥渁void all outdoor activity.鈥澛�

An AQI of 300 is 12 times higher than the level recommended as safe by the World Health Organization. The US Environmental Protection Agency says such a reading is 鈥渆xtremely rare鈥� in the United States, occurring downwind of forest fires, for example.

So, only when meteorologists expect 鈥撀爁or three days in a row 鈥撀爐o see pollution so bad that Americans would be told to stay home will a 鈥渞ed alert鈥� kick in here.

That happened only four times even last winter, when pollution reached the highest levels ever measured in Beijing, suggesting that the newly announced measures will only rarely be enforced.

When they are imposed, they will slap alternate-day driving rules on automobiles, ban trucks carrying dirt from the city鈥檚 streets, halt work at some factories and some construction sites, and 鈥� rather quaintly 鈥� prohibit the lighting of barbecues and the use of fireworks. Schools will also be closed.

The government has taken increasing measures in recent weeks to try to stave off a repeat of last winter鈥檚 鈥渁irpocalypse,鈥� when air pollution reached hazardous levels on 20 days in January. That prompted widespread anger among the city鈥檚 residents.聽

Last month the state-run news agency Xinhua said that in November Beijing will reduce the number of car license plates it issues each month, so as to keep the total number of cars on the capital鈥檚 roads below six million by the end of 2017. There were 5.2 million vehicles registered in Beijing at the end of last year, up from three million five years ago.聽

At a meeting of provincial governments from the worst affected northern part of China in September, Beijing promised to cut its annual output of PM2.5, the smallest and most dangerous particulates, by 25 percent by 2017. But Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli warned at the meeting that the fight against pollution is a 鈥渓ong term, arduous and complicated task.鈥澛�