| Sixteen of China's cities have been found to have | | | | the Olympic bid in 2001. |
| the most polluted air on Earth. The air pollution in | | | | In addition, Beijing has also passed some of |
| Beijing is the worst of all the cities in China. Air | | | | China's most ambitious environmental measures, |
| pollution is one of the many environmental side | | | | and in 2005 it embraced 22 tough new rules, |
| effects of the 2.1 billion tons of coal produced and | | | | including strict controls on industrial smoke, |
| burned in China last year. Air pollution has led to | | | | automobile exhaust fumes, and construction dust. |
| significant health problems for the Chinese. A | | | | Tighter vehicle emissions standards were adopted |
| study by a Chinese research institute found that | | | | in 2003, and some public buses now run on |
| 400,000 premature deaths are caused every | | | | alternative fuels such as clean natural gas. |
| year by diseases linked to air pollution. China's | | | | Meanwhile, the city's heaviest polluters, such as |
| Ministry of Science and Technology reports that | | | | coking plants in the southeastern suburbs, have |
| 50,000 newborn babies are killed by air pollution a | | | | been relocated to neighboring cities, a move that |
| year. | | | | has subsequently raised concerns about worsening |
| Beijing already suffers traffic congestion so | | | | air pollution in these areas. |
| severe that cars sometimes idle on the freeways | | | | Several weeks before the 2008 Summer |
| for hours, emitting tons of carbon based | | | | Olympics, in an effort to reduce air pollution, the |
| pollutants and producing smog. | | | | government of China will begin shutting down |
| Factories surround Beijing and emit large amounts | | | | industries that emit vast quantities of soot and |
| of soot and carbon. Ozone, a colorless gas and | | | | carbon into the atmosphere surrounding the city. |
| critical pollutant arising in large part from car | | | | Though the government has yet to release a list |
| exhaust and factory emissions, regularly goes | | | | of the industries and factories it will close, various |
| unmeasured in Beijing. | | | | news accounts and official statements indicate |
| With 10 months to go before next August's | | | | that virtually every factory in the greater Beijing |
| Olympic games, air pollution is Beijing's biggest | | | | area will greatly reduce operations or be |
| problem in its otherwise smooth preparations. | | | | completely shuttered for a period of several |
| Recently, the United Nations Environment Program | | | | weeks, and that nearby coal mining operations |
| criticized Beijing's progress on cleaning its air as | | | | may be shut down as well, or at least slowed, |
| slow and said some pollution exceeded World | | | | before and throughout the Olympics. In addition, |
| Health Organization standards. | | | | auto traffic will be severely curtailed within Beijing. |
| Health experts are speculating whether it is even | | | | Clouds may be seeded to the north of the city in |
| feasible for Olympic athletes to run a marathon | | | | order to bring rain and minimize the hideous |
| through streets where respiratory particulate | | | | Mongolian dust storms that commonly plague |
| levels average 3-4 times U.S. safety levels. | | | | China's capital. |
| Olympic athletes are concerned as well. Two | | | | Beijing is also considering a regional |
| weeks ago, two Ethiopian middle-distance running | | | | pollution-prevention-and-control mechanism to |
| champions announced they would forgo some | | | | clean up the air for the Olympics. This includes |
| events because of the "disgusting weather and air | | | | information sharing and feedback systems; such |
| pollution." New Zealand and American athletes say | | | | as, pollution source monitoring and discharge data |
| they will wear face masks if necessary. Some | | | | reports, air monitoring data reports, air quality |
| countries are delaying their teams' arrivals in | | | | alarm reports, and air pollution prevention and |
| Beijing until the last possible moment to protect | | | | reduction conferences in various cities and |
| their athletes' performance. | | | | provinces. |
| Two months ago, IOC (International Olympic | | | | However, Olympic athletes may never know the |
| Committee) president Jacques Rogge said | | | | real dangers of the air in Beijing. Beijing does not |
| Olympic officials were prepared to take the | | | | regularly measure or evaluate some serious |
| unprecedented step of postponing some events, | | | | pollutants, including ozone and some types of fine |
| particularly endurance competitions, if the air | | | | particulate matter that can easily be inhaled deep |
| pollution was too severe. | | | | into the lungs. Meanwhile, they have refused to |
| However, China has spent more than the $12 | | | | publicly release figures on the amount of pollutants |
| billion they promised for pollution control for the | | | | at any given location, such as the Olympic Village |
| Olympic Games. The air pollution problems remain | | | | or Tiananmen Square, preferring to stick with a |
| because the country's growth has simply | | | | citywide average. |
| outpaced all predictions made when the city won | | | | |