Southern China's Turn: HK PM 2.5 At 190 ppm; Meanwhile, China Deleting Pollution Critics Online

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HONG KONG — With pollution levels receding in Beijing, parts of southern China, including Hong Kong, experienced dangerous levels of smog Monday as weather patterns pushed bad air into the region. The worsening conditions caused the Hong Kong government to warn of a “very high” health risk, particularly for the elderly, children and those with existing respiratory conditions.

The level of PM2.5 pollution, the fine particulates that pose the greatest danger to health, exceeded 190 micrograms per cubic meter on Sunday in Hong Kong, and the high levels continued into Monday. The World Health Organization recommends daily exposure of no more than 25 micrograms of PM2.5 per cubic meter, and levels above 150 are considered “unhealthy.”

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On Friday, the Chinese minister for environmental protection, Chen Jining, told reporters in Beijing that air quality had generally improved but that it would take a while to wean the Chinese economy from relying on heavy industry and fossil fuels that cause the smog. He also said that the unusually static air across northern China recently had contributed to the buildup.

“Cleaning up atmospheric pollution can’t be done in an instant,” Mr. Chen said, according to his ministry’s website. “Cleaning up atmospheric pollution is a war of offense, but it’s also a war of endurance.”

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http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/09/world/asia/china-air-pollution-hong-kong.html

As northern China entered its second day on red alert for toxic smog (not all cities are on red, many are on yellow/orange), online censors moved to delete content criticizing the ruling Chinese Communist Party for its handling of the air pollution crisis that grips the country every winter.

Calls have been growing on social media to pin down the government departments responsible for the various factors contributing the toxic brown soup that hundreds of millions of people are forced to breathe in many Chinese cities.

"The State Council must make a formal statement to the 1.4 Chinese people explaining itself," one commentator wrote, calling for "formal plans" to tackle the problem within the next decade. "People understand that the water can support the boat, but that it can also sink it," the article warned, in a metaphor referring to the ruling party and the people. The post was rapidly deleted from social media sites and the popular smartphone chat app WeChat.

References and links to a Financial Times article in Chinese by outspoken Beijing University law professor Zhang Qianfan, titled "Can China find its way out of its systemic smog?" were also apparently targeted by censors, returning messages indicating a "violation of content regulations" on Friday.

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http://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/deletes-01062017122700.html