■ロイターが報じた
【北京】北京市当局が7日、大気汚染に対し初めて最高レベルの警報である「赤色警報」を発令したのを受け、8日の市内は閑散とし建設現場も静まりかえっていた。専門家の間では、赤色警報が出されたのは、先週赤色警報が発令されなかったことに市民の批判が高まったからではないかとみられている。
赤色警報の発令を受け、北京市では8日から3日間、工場の操業が規制され、学校が休校となるなど緊急措置が続く。2000万人以上に上る市民は、外出する際にはマスクを着用するよう奨励され、この日はナンバープレートが奇数の車は通行禁止となった。代替交通手段の公共バスや地下鉄は増発された。
8日午後には大気汚染指数は、中国政府が「重度の汚染」とみなす300を突破した。同時間帯のニューヨーク市の同指数は49だった。米環境保護局（EPA）によると、米国で大気汚染指数が300を超えるのは、森林火災のような場合だけで「非常にまれ」だという。
■北京市が初の「赤色警報」、大気汚染最高レベル
中国・北京市は7日、大気汚染に関する警報の中で最も深刻な「赤色警報」を初めて発令した。外出規制や車両通行規制のほか、学校には休校指示が出された。
Not everyone has confined themselves to the indoors during this latest bout of pollution. Some stayed active, including this woman at Beijing’s Olympic Park on Dec. 1.
People wearing protective masks ride bicycles in the morning on an extremely polluted day in Beijing, China December 8, 2015. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
Visitors, some wearing masks to protect themselves from pollutants, share a light moment as they take a selfie at the Jingshan Park on a polluted day in Beijing, Monday, Dec. 7, 2015. Smog shrouded the capital city Monday after authorities in Beijing issued an orange alert on Saturday. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
A labourer works on top of a construction site of a business building amid heavy smog after the city issued its first ever ¥"red alert¥" for air pollution, in central Beijing, China, December 8, 2015. In an online statement, the Beijing city government ordered all outdoor construction work to stop on red alert days, besides urging schools to close. REUTERS/Jason Lee
A security guard wearing a protective mask to shield from extreme smog stands in his booth in central Beijing December 8, 2015 as China¥'s capital issues its first ever ¥"red alert¥" for pollution. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
Those without masks seek protection however they can on Tuesday, as Beijing’s first-ever red alert for smog takes effect.
Primary school students exercise inside a Beijing classroom Monday, their outdoor activities canceled due to heavy smog.
Beijing residents, some wearing masks, continue their daily dance routine Monday despite the smog.
Visibility at Beijing’s airport, shown here on Dec. 1, has dropped significantly since the smog began worsening.
The China Central Television (CCTV) building is barely visible on the extremely polluted morning of Dec. 1 in Beijing, with the pollution-alert level at orange.
A paramilitary police officer stands guard near Tiananmen Gate shrouded with heavy pollution and fog in Beijing on Dec. 1. Schools in the capital kept students indoors and parents brought their children to hospitals with breathing difficulty as Beijing grappled with extremely severe air pollution for a fifth straight day.
Heavy smog on Dec. 1 doesn't deter visitors to National Stadium, also known as the Bird’s Nest, from taking selfies.
Chinese construction workers on an unfinished building in Beijing on Dec. 1, when the city issued an orange alert. It later issued a red alert, the most severe warning, under which outdoor construction sites are advised to close.
Policemen wear protective masks near the Forbidden City on Dec. 1, with the pollution-alert level at orange.
Not everyone has confined themselves to the indoors during this latest bout of pollution. Some stayed active, including this woman at Beijing’s Olympic Park on Dec. 1.
People wearing protective masks ride bicycles in the morning on an extremely polluted day in Beijing, China December 8, 2015. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon
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Not everyone has confined themselves to the indoors during this latest bout of pollution. Some stayed active, including this woman at Beijing’s Olympic Park on Dec. 1. Li Feng/Getty Images
People wearing protective masks ride bicycles in the morning on an extremely polluted day in Beijing, China December 8, 2015 …
Visitors, some wearing masks to protect themselves from pollutants, share a light moment as they take a selfie at the Jingshan Park on a polluted day in Beijing, Monday, Dec. 7, 2015. Smog shrouded the capital city Monday after authorities in Beijing issued an orange alert on Saturday. (AP Photo/Andy Wong) Andy Wong/Associated Press
A labourer works on top of a construction site of a business building amid heavy smog after the city issued its first ever ¥"red alert¥" for air pollution, in central Beijing, China, December 8, 2015. In an online statement, the Beijing city government ordered all outdoor construction work to stop on red alert days, besides urging schools to close. REUTERS/Jason Lee Jason Lee/Reuters
A security guard wearing a protective mask to shield from extreme smog stands in his booth in central Beijing December 8, 2015 as China¥'s capital issues its first ever ¥"red alert¥" for pollution. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj Damir Sagolj/Reuters
Those without masks seek protection however they can on Tuesday, as Beijing’s first-ever red alert for smog takes effect. Andy Wong/Associated Press
Primary school students exercise inside a Beijing classroom Monday, their outdoor activities canceled due to heavy smog. Reuters
Beijing residents, some wearing masks, continue their daily dance routine Monday despite the smog. Jason Lee/Reuters
Visibility at Beijing’s airport, shown here on Dec. 1, has dropped significantly since the smog began worsening. Fred Dufour/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
The China Central Television (CCTV) building is barely visible on the extremely polluted morning of Dec. 1 in Beijing, with the pollution-alert level at orange. Damir Sagolj/Reuters
A paramilitary police officer stands guard near Tiananmen Gate shrouded with heavy pollution and fog in Beijing on Dec. 1. Schools in the capital kept students indoors and parents brought their children to hospitals with breathing difficulty as Beijing grappled with extremely severe air pollution for a fifth straight day. Andy Wong/Associated Press
Heavy smog on Dec. 1 doesn't deter visitors to National Stadium, also known as the Bird’s Nest, from taking selfies. Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters
Chinese construction workers on an unfinished building in Beijing on Dec. 1, when the city issued an orange alert. It later issued a red alert, the most severe warning, under which outdoor construction sites are advised to close. Wu Hong/European Pressphoto Agency
Policemen wear protective masks near the Forbidden City on Dec. 1, with the pollution-alert level at orange. Damir Sagolj/Reuters
Not everyone has confined themselves to the indoors during this latest bout of pollution. Some stayed active, including this woman at Beijing’s Olympic Park on Dec. 1. Li Feng/Getty Images
People wearing protective masks ride bicycles in the morning on an extremely polluted day in Beijing, China December 8, 2015. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon Kim Kyung-hoon/Reuters
■同市では先週、もっと深刻な大気汚染に見舞われたが、市当局は上から3段階目の「オレンジ色」警報の発令にとどめていた。オレンジ色警報の場合は、経済活動を一部規制するものの、交通などはほぼ通常通りとなる。だがこの時、市当局が赤色警報を出さなかったことについて、ソーシャルメディアで市民の間から怒りの声が上がった。
大気汚染状況を監視する市民団体「公共･環境問題研究所」の幹部は、赤色警報を出せば「車の通行は半減し社会的・経済的な損失が非常に高くなる」とし、これまでならば北京市当局が発令をちゅうちょしたとしても驚くべきことではないと指摘。その上で「今回は非常に多くの市民が疑問を提起したので、市当局は考えを改めて、天気予報に不確実な面があっても基準通りにすることにしたのだと思う」と述べた。
Beijing authorities have issued a red alert—the highest of four alert levels—for hazardous smog. From Tuesday to Thursday, residents are invited to stay indoors, and the government has recommended closures of schools, construction sites and some industrial plants. Photo: REUTERS
■中国国営メディアによれば、北京市環境測定センター当局者は先週警報を出さなかったことについて厚いスモッグはすぐに消えるとの天気予報だったので発令しなかったと語ったという。
米ノートルダム大学のジョン・ネイグル教授（中国環境法専攻）は、赤色警報を出さなかった1つの理由として、習近平国家主席がパリで開催中の気候変動枠組み条約第21回締約国会議（COP21）に出席したことがあったのかもしれないと推測する。
ネイグル氏は、「COP21が開かれている時に、首都が非常に深刻な大気汚染に見舞われていることが世界の関心の的になるのは、何とも格好が悪いと思ったのだろう」と語る。
政府統計によれば、11月27日から12月1日まで北京市の大気汚染指数は200を超え、500を突破した時もあった。北京の大気汚染は、景気鈍化や周辺地域の汚染度の高い産業の再編などにより、今年は改善傾向にあったが、ここ2カ月間悪化している。（ロイター）
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