Olympics Raise Questions over China’s Environmental Pollution

[Myrtti]

I didn't know Spadlet is a member of the Chinese government. Well done girl!

[spadlet]

Originally Posted by Karl

Apparently they read this forum…

In that case, can I add an aditional suggestion of the free loan of as many spare bicycles as they can find to the people that will not be allowed to use their cars and the setting up of a car sharing network that is free to join and participate in. This might help the people deprived of their cars to experience alternatives that could have a lasting contribution on transport pollution levels. Maybe people that took part in the car sharing could even be entered into a prize draw...to win one of those bike taxis and a driver for a year that can be used by the shared car users instead of the shared car?

[prashamk]

Following article appeared in China Daily... Some positive news from China:

An air quality monitoring and warning system to help guarantee clear skies for the Beijing Olympics in August has been fully implemented, scientists have said.

The 20-million-yuan ($2.9 million) project was jointly launched by the Beijing authorities and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Liu Wenqing, the project's chief scientist and a professor of the Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics under the CAS, told China Daily recently.

The project includes 11 air quality monitoring stations and three mobile surveillance vehicles that have been deployed in the capital. Another 14 monitoring stations in a dozen cities surrounding Beijing will also provide data.

The information collected is expected to help authorities in the commitment to hold a green Olympics by targeting major polluters.

The project is an extension of a trial held during the "Good Luck Beijing" test events for the Olympics.

Following the trial to monitor air quality, Beijing authorities launched a four-day experiment to see whether pulling 1.3 million cars off the capital's roads each day in an even-and-odd license plate rule that allowed them to drive into the city on alternate days would be effective in reducing air pollution during the Olympics.

During the experiment, the amount of pollutants in the city decreased by 17 to 28 percent, while the daily average pollutant levels met the national standard II, a standard accepted by the International Olympic Committee, Liu said. The traffic control measures can help improve the city's air quality significantly, Liu said.

About 70 percent of the monitoring devices used in the latest project are domestically made hi-tech equipment that measure dozens of pollutants, including nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, methane, ammonia and volatile organic compounds, scientists said. The rest are foreign-made equipment used to measure four types of pollutants - sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone and the particulate matter PM 10.

Ulrich Platt, a professor from the Institute for Environmental Physics under the University of Heidelberg in Germany, the initiator of one of the techniques used in the project, praised the air quality monitoring system.

"It is amazing that China achieved such progress in such a short period, almost in sync with developments in developed countries," Platt said in March when he visited the Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, which produced equipment used in the project.

[brianidaho]

Seems like a bunch of hypocrates given that the vast majority of the athletes and spectators will be flying in on huge, fuel guzzling, polluting jets... Lets make the working class give up their cars and means of getting to work for a few weeks so the elite don't have to see smog, sounds like a great idea.

[prashamk]

Actually I am against the idea of China hosting Olympics:

1) Million of villagers in interior china are gasping for food and water.

2) China was awarded with olympics in around 2000 when its condition was even worse.

3) 17 million residents of beijing will have to face lots of problems durint the time of olympics. Why do you need to host olympics if you don't have solution for local problems?

4) If the same money would have been utilized in better manner to help its poor, it would have progressed in much better and faster manner.

[sparky]

Pollution around the Olympic stadium in Beijing could be five times worse than levels deemed safe by the World Health Organisation. Chinese officials admit they can no longer guarantee that the air quality will match international standards as pollution tests by The Sunday Times revealed the full extent of the challenge facing British athletes.

Smog in Beijing five times over safety limit as Olympics nears - Times Online

[prashamk]

That's some news. I am sure there would be quite a few setback during the event.

[kepler]

And yet the Olympic Committee handed the games over to Beijing. Bravo.

[prashamk]

Originally Posted by kepler

And yet the Olympic Committee handed the games over to Beijing. Bravo.

That was about 6-8 years back.

[bruce]

If they don't get a handle on the smog then the Olympics could prove to be the biggest advert for environmentalism ever. All it will take is a few marathon runners to keel over or something and the message will be rammed home loud and clear.