China 'Lacks Unity' Over Air Pollution: State Media (xpost from FA)
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/pollution-02252014170727.html
Tourists wearing face masks visit the Temple of Heaven in heavy smog in Beijing, Feb. 24, 2014.
China 'Lacks Unity' Over Air Pollution: State Media
2014-02-25
State-run media moved to ward off growing criticism of the ruling Chinese Communist Party on Tuesday over the swathes of choking smog plaguing northern China in recent days, calling for a "united front" against the problem.
Heavy smog has covered around 13 percent of China's territory, causing heavy pollution in 33 major cities, official figures show.
Beijing entered a second day under an "orange" alert under its new warning system introduced last year by the National Meteorological Center.
The U.S. Embassy in Beijing, which monitors air pollution unofficially, tweeted that PM2.5 particulate matter concentrations were at 496, nearly 20 times the level considered safe by the World Health Organization.