Xinhua recently reported that, starting November 19, the northern part of China, including Beijing, has once again been covered in the heavy haze of pollution. As a result of a number of different mechanisms that the government imposed in order to reduce pollution during the APEC Summit, which just concluded, Beijing enjoyed two weeks of unusual blue sky. The blue sky was so rare that the locals named it “APEC Blue.” Now that the haze has returned, people have gone back to their "mask-wearing" life. Many citizens are calling for a government funded benefit plan called a “haze allowance.” The idea triggered a large social debate on who should pay for it and on fairness in distribution. Most people argued that they would rather have the money spent on reducing pollution and bringing back the blue sky than on paying people to continue breathing poisonous air.
Source: Xinhua, November 22, 2014
http://news.xinhuanet.com/energy/2014-11/22/c_127239972.htm