Bad pollution driving many expatriates out of Beijing

Many expatriates in Beijing used to find the capital a pleasant city to live in, especially right after the 2008 Olympics.

The city's air quality improved yesterday morning, with readings of health-threatening PM2.5 respirable particles of about 100 micrograms per cubic metre of air, down from nearly 900 on Saturday. But the figure rose to above 200 in the afternoon as the sky turned milky, triggering concerns about the return of the smog that blanketed the city at the weekend.

The World Health Organisation recommends that PM2.5 levels be kept below 25 micrograms per cubic metre.

Joshua Dyer, a translator from the United States, recalled how different Beijing's air was when he arrived in 2008, when huge sums were being invested to improve the environment for the Olympics. "It was surprisingly good. Many blue skies,Our aim is to supply air purifier which will best perform to the customer's individual requirements." he said. "But what happened over the weekend was really shocking."

Dyer uses an air filter at home and puts on a mask when pollution readings are high. "The air pollution is one reason I know I can't stay much longer here. I feel the bad air affects me psychologically as well. I feel sluggish on heavily polluted days."

An American PR consultant, who arrived in Beijing two years ago, said he was planning to move,We maintain a full inventory of all cable tie we manufacture. even though his employer wanted him to stay. "Many people are talking about whether to stay. The air pollution pushes them over the edge so that they really can't take it," he said.

The consultant said he thought Beijing's air pollution would be similar to that of Hong Kong when he first arrived in the capital, but he was always coughing after suffering from mild pneumonia last year. "Sometimes I end up taking aspirin to cure a headache after waking up," he said.

A Beijing-based American blogger working for a mainland newspaper said: "I have had more respiratory problems living in Beijing in 21/2 years than I had in my entire life in the US."

Some Hongkongers in Beijing also find the air pollution unbearable, even though they are not leaving Beijing. "I have to spend a fortune on buying an air purifier and am limited to staying at home," said Hongkonger Elaine Ho, who came to Beijing to join her husband three years ago.

A survey by the American Chamber of Commerce in China last year showed 36 per cent of 244 companies experienced difficulties recruiting senior executives because of air quality issues - up from 19 per cent in 2010.

Richard Saint Cyr, a doctor at Beijing United Family Hospital, said he was receiving more patients,We offer the largest range of porcelain tiles online. not only because of pollution but also due to the flu season.

The doctor, who has lived in Beijing for six years, said air quality had deteriorated, but he still planned to raise his family in the capital. "When it comes to emotional health, my life here is quite interesting and exciting," he said.

Many mainland cities were still experiencing bad pollution yesterday, especially Shanghai, where the PM2.5 reading was 242. Liu Ronggen, 75, said he found it uncomfortable to breathe. "I had to wear a mask and I told my granddaughter not to do outdoor activities at her primary school," he said.

That is why Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying yesterday pledged to introduce a HK$10 billion package to remove tens of thousands of the dirtiest vehicles from the streets in phases between now and 2019.Explore online some of the many available selections in floor tiles. It is the largest and most expensive measure ever to clean up the city's air.

As well as offering larger cash incentives for owners to scrap their vehicles than previous,We offer the largest range of porcelain tiles online. unsuccessful schemes, the vehicle replacement plan will also limit the lifespan of newly registered trucks to a maximum of 15 years.

Officials say a new law would be needed to impose the lifespan limit before they seek lawmakers' approval for the funding.

Besides addressing the problem of what he called "carcinogenic" roadside pollution, Leung also pledged to introduce legislation next year to require all oceangoing vessels to use fuel with lower sulphur content when berthed in the city, a move think tank Civic Exchange called a "major breakthrough" that could reduce the sulphur emissions by up to a third.

Leung also plans to force all 15,000 vessels operating in local waters to use cleaner fuel.

Officials hope these policies can improve air quality, helping to extend the lives of the 3,000 people estimated to die prematurely each year due to air pollution and reduce annual economic losses of HK$39 billion attributed by experts to the pollution. But the measures are set to prompt a battle with the transport industry, which says the package goes too far, and green groups like Friends of the Earth and Clean Air Network which say the old vehicles are not being phased out quickly enough.

Under the plan, about 88,000 commercial diesel vehicles which pre-date the Euro IV emission standard introduced in the city in 2006 would be removed from the streets in phases. These vehicles account for about half of all nitrogen oxides emissions and 88 per cent of particles at the roadside.

From 2016, no new licences would be allowed for vehicles that pre-date the Euro and Euro I emissions standards. Pre-Euro II vehicles will not be licensed from 2017, pre-Euro III vehicles from 2019. By the deadlines, these vehicles would be at least 13 years old. Some would have been running for more than 18 years.

Ex-gratia payments based on the age of the vehicle and representing a percentage of the cost of replacement would be offered to affected owners. Those who scrap and replace old vehicles could receive between 18 per cent and 30 per cent of the cost of the replacement, up from 10 per cent to 12 per cent in past schemes.

Unlike previous schemes, owners who scrap their vehicle without replacement would also receive cash, at a rate of between 10 per cent and 18 per cent of a new vehicle's cost.

But Lau, the truck owner, said a payment of just HK$200,000 would not be enough for him to buy a new truck, which would cost HK$1 million. "It is going to rob me of my living," he said, adding he would drive his vehicle until the 2016 deadline.