Beijing and its neighboring Tianjin Municipality have both issued their first red alerts for air pollution this year with heavy smog forecast in northern China Friday, local environmental protection authorities said Thursday. ( The red alerts will be active from 8 p.m. on Friday until Dec. 21 when air quality is expected to improve. According to the emergency response plan for severe air pollution released November, four consecutive days of heavy air pollution, including two days of severe air pollution, activate a red alert. A red alert is also issued if the Air Quality Index reaches 500. Besides Beijing and Tianjin, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said another 21 cities including Shijiazhuang, Taiyuan and Zhengzhou are expected to issue red alerts, with nine others expected to issue orange. Warm, humid air will trap pollutants and cause air quality to drop dramatically, according to meteorologist […]