Tens of thousands of web users in China have voted in an online poll to press for better monitoring of air pollution by the government, The Wall Street Journal reported. The poll was launched Sunday on microblog site Sina (SINA.NASDAQ) Weibo by Pan Shiyi, a well-known property developer and chairman of SOHO China (0410.HKG), after a week of heavy smog in Beijing. By Tuesday, more than 38,000 people, including prominent celebrities, had registered their support for China adopting pollution metrics similar to the US. The US embassy in Beijing independently monitors air quality in the capital and posts the results daily on Twitter. China’s foreign ministry has asked the embassy to stop publishing its measurements, as they frequently conflict with official figures. “If they knew how serious the problem is, then people can consciously prevent air pollution and change their unhealthy lifestyles and habits,” said Pan.
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