Improved Air Quality in Beijing? Don't Hold Your Breath.
Beijing's air quality is a roller coaster ride, to say the least. Three weeks ago the city cut all traffic and energy production in a last-ditch effort to improve outdoor air quality, and now things are…er…inconsistent to say the least.
The World Health Organization (WHO) Air Quality Guidelines specify acceptable levels of particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide for developed nations as well as an interim target for developing countries.
So how does Beijing measure up? More than half the time the city's air quality isn't even within the target level for developed nations, and very often the city's particulate matter is beyond what's acceptable in developing nations.
Truth be told, Beijing's air quality isn't all bad. But it's bad enough. The concern in Beijing is shifting from the all too encompassing matter of air pollution in general to the more specific issue of particulate matter. In fact, BBC news has been keeping unofficial tabs on the city's free-flowing particulate matter since early July.
The verdict: not good.
While Beijing has managed to find a few days where air particulate matter is only present in low levels, the progress isn't consistent, and thus means very little.
Even so, the Olympics will go on. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has determined that Beijing skies are blue enough, and the city's air quality is acceptable. All I have to say is: we'll see.
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Photograph © Andrew Wong / Getty Images
Comments
My wife and I watched the opening ceremonies for the olympics last night and I couldn’t believe how disgusting the air was. Its beyond unhealthy and sure not anything to be proud of.
I really didn’t know the pollution was so bad in China. I thought that since they were so advanced as far as technology goes that they’d at least have skies as blue as the U.S. There are a lot of cities in the U.S. that have smog problems, but it seems like nothing compared to China’s problems. Wow.
Oh my, it’s really disgusting. I feel sorry for the athletes who are expected to perform at such high levels while breathing that polluted air. It can’t be healthy.
It also makes me angry that China tried to fix the air temporarily for global visitors, only to let it continue afterward for their own people.
Have you seen the GE commercials about “ECO” stuff? Love the one with the little wind turbine farm…..they tried. Haha…. anyways, off topic, can the US argue that the Chinese womens gymnastics team is a bunch of kids and take their gold medals?
sure they have tried extra hard to fix the air pollution for international vistors, and expect there own people to breath unhealthy air, but its there own people that have caused such a high leveled problem, and there own people that are not trying at there best ability to fix it.
and about the bottom comment - kids yes, but amazing atheletes at that!