Data shows pollution plummeted during capital’s ‘APEC blue’ period
Print Edition
AIR quality data released by Beijing environmental authorities yesterday for the period including the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in the capital showed a dramatic drop in levels of key pollutants.
Following a special air pollution control plan for APEC meetings, the city’s daily PM 2.5 density fell to 43 micrograms per cubic meter between November 1 and November 12 — a 55-percent reduction on the same period last year, according to the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau.
Daily average levels of PM 10, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide were down by 44 percent, 57 percent and 31 percent respectively on the same period of 2013, it said.
“Beijing had 11 days with good air quality, while only one day suffered from mild air pollution,” said Fang Li, deputy head of the bureau.
In order to tamp down on pollution during the APEC forum, Beijing and neighboring regions imposed tight limits on car use, ordered factories and construction sites to close and declared a holiday for public-sector employees.
“The city became cleaner and cars ran more smoothly and quickly during APEC,” said Song Qiang, head of Beijing Municipal Research Institute of Environmental Protection.
The tough emission reduction measures have greatly improved air quality. The phrase “APEC blue” was even coined by Chinese netizens to describe the blue sky in heavily polluted Beijing during the week.
A post circulating widely in the WeChat messaging service said that APEC also stands for “Air Pollution Eventually Controlled.”
Another post defined “APEC blue” as “something that is beautiful but transient, almost like an illusion.”
With the APEC summit ending, pollution reduction measures have been removed.
“Everybody needs to shoulder the responsibility to cut emissions and make ‘APEC blue’ the new normal,” Song said.
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