Beijing is considering listing smog as a meteorological disaster, but the move has been questioned.

北京正考虑将霾列为气象灾害，但此举引发了质疑。

The legal committee of the Beijing Municipal People's Congress started work on the revision in May.

北京市人大法制委员会于今年5月开始了这项修订工作。

It said that once smog is listed as a meteorological disaster, the city must take emergency measures in smoggy weather, including traffic control as well as work and school suspensions.

该委员会称，一旦霾被列为气象灾害，该市须在雾霾天采取交通管制、停工停课等应急措施。

However, scholars said listing smog as a meteorological disaster could cause confusion and give polluters an excuse to evade¹ their responsibilities.

不过有学者表示，将霾列为气象灾害可能会引起混淆，给污染者提供脱责的借口。

Wang Zifa, a researcher with the Institute of Atmospheric² Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was among a group of scholars raising doubts over the listing.

中国科学院大气物理研究所研究员王自发就是一群质疑的学者中的一位。

Chang Jiwen, a policy adviser³ with the State Council Development Research Center, suggested smog be added to a regulation on atmospheric pollution control, rather than classified as a meteorological disaster.

国务院发展研究中心政策顾问常纪文建议，应将霾列入有关大气污染防治的法规中，而不是将其归类为气象灾害。

Beijing's average density⁴ of hazardous⁵ fine particulate⁶ matter from January to October was 64 micrograms per cubic meter, an annual decrease of 8.6 percent, according to the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau.

据北京市环境保护局的数据显示，今年一月至十月，北京的有害细颗粒物的平均浓度为64微克/立方米，同比下降8.6%。