Who’s Driving? In China, It Depends on the Day

It is an interesting topic, for sure. I don't think two months will do it. There is just too much pollution already there. But it certainly is a start.

Spending time in China 10 years ago, I can tell you that air pollution was pretty bad. Although Beijing seemed to actually be better than a lot of other places I was in, like Nanjing, Shanghai, and Wuhan.

I am just impressed that the government is taking steps to make it better. I hope they stick with it after the global scrutiny of the Olympics has passed and that it's not a world P.R. ploy.

I hope they stick with it after the global scrutiny of the Olympics has passed and that it's not a world P.R. ploy

I agree. Unfortunately, this the major criticism of the plan. A lot of reports that I've read are predicting that Chinese are just putting on a show for the rest of the world, but will immediately go back to their polluting ways.

The positive aspect of these reports point out that by hosting the Olympics, the Chinese are exposing their pollution problems to the rest of the world - who may, in return, put some more pressure on the country to cleanup their act.

That is true...

But the sad part is that China has never really seemed to care about political pressure as much as it has about economic pressure (from the corporate level).

Hopefully some green companies take that into consideration when the broker future deals.

As much as I want to believe in the Chinese and that their actions are for the good of the world and not for public relations, I can't. They have spent too much time making the pollution to go back now and all of the sudden they are a 'changed country' or 'a green country'. Puh-lease.

They probably don't know how nice it is to have blue skies - so why should they aim for it? Look at how long it took them to get lead out of their products - oh wait...they didn't... They blatantly don't care. The only reason they are doing this is for public relations. Period.

I think that in the back of my mind I know you're right, but I can't but hold some hope that they're ready to make a change...

But, I've been wrong before (once or twice)

The car ban makes sense, and maybe some factories will need to close for a while during the Olympics.

The air in Chongqing was horrible, grey skies from pollution all the time, hiding the sun, in spring '05 while I was there.

Even far away from the coast, deep into Sichuan, folks have taken strongly to driving cars (lots of GM's on the road), very few on bikes. My Nixon-in-China perception of bike riding China was shattered by seeing all the folks in cars.

The newly-paved Shanghai highway is populated with many SUV's, just like our roads here in the northeast. It was obvious from all the nice, late-model SUV's that China is doing well these days.

On the bright side, within the past year, I met Chinese wind-power engineers visiting Schenectady, and they are committed to a cleaner future for China. But not in time for the Olympics.

Wind power is just the tip of the ice berg. Plus - that is just a source of renewable energy, so it may just be in THEIR best interest and not the worlds. Not trying to clash heads, but they seem to only be in it for themselves.

Hi Jaxy - Heard a report last night on the UK's carbon emissions: If you factor into the equation all the carbon emissions in China tied to consumption in Great Britain, the UK's track record isn't so great after all. Same holds for the US. My purchases of Chinese-made goods at Walmart (yes, I do shop there - it's hard not to these days) contribute to carbon emissions (grey skies) over Beijing, while keeping the air in Saratoga County nice and clean. We're all in this together, and global consumers in the West, through their purchasing choices, hold much of the responsibility of what's happening over the skies of China. - april05

Olympic games is being to open, so more and more people concern bejing and its air state I dont thnk what the gpod air quality in the city is.

the car ban meaurement is obviously temporary. its impossible to implement forever in bejing. because there are too populaton in beijing as well as other big cities. but govener seems to wish to keep the situation on, in order that beijing can compare with other big city in the woild.

We have more and more frequcecy to hear the news about the air quality on tv program. we dont know what is good quality for a city?

we may get use to the situation. and dont know how good is the foreign city in the world?

you all visited china, how is different comparing with your city?

I was told that some of cities in europe are not as good as chinese cities at air quality.

It means that Chinese are more bothered about visitors than their own people. Once Olympics is over every thing will same as it was, locals will have to live in polluted city. There should have been some permanent measures so as to give clean envoirment not only for visitors but also for local people.It may be difficult but not impossible. Here are my few suggestions:-

1.Shift polluting industries away from the city.

2.Such industry should be forced to install antipollution equipment.

3.All public transport vehicles such as buses,taxis etc should be converted to run on CNG.

4.Like Singapore there should be limits for adding new vehicles in city.

5.People should be encouraged to ride bicycles for short runs as they used to do earlier, there should be seperate lanes for them.

And many more suggestions others can contribute who are experts in this subject.

Suresh Sharma

All measures have benn done by china. and goverment try to change cities in china from produce function to consumpton type.

all hve been completed in beijing in the past years for that lovely games. mills has been shifted out of the city, vehicles have been forced to drive by single and doulb number in other day, extend plant area. but these area will be built a block of building after games. so the green plant will be dissapear after games.

However I dont think its a good measure for enterpises and factory shift out of city. as you know, if the enterprise is located in city or suburb, it has an enough financial to improve tech and monitored by people, but when they are shifted out in rural. no peple can monitor them, they will pay no attation to tech improvement and will make more pullution. and goverment and media will ingnore these pollution.

Interesting. I can tell you this much: One was recently able to stand in Seoul and see the clouds of vapors and fumes blow in from China. I believe it will take a lot longer than 2 months to clean up the air. Don't forget, great pressure from the central government is being put on "temporary" clean-up, as far as shutting down some steel mills, factories etc, as well as vehicular density. But that still leaves immense pollution problems. I just returned from 3 weeks in the Philippines and Hong Kong. One obvious result across much of Asia is that increased fuel prices, especially diesel, is reducing traffic in places that were quagmires of bumper-to-bumper traffic. Let's review the pollution problem in China in 6 months and see where they stand.

All condition in Beijing is better more than other cities in China. It spends too much already. goverment needs spend more to other cities for their enviroment and foundation construcgtion.

Olympic games is only a game, only for entertainment. it just play a while, most of people cnnt live by this games. they need to constuct their good live by hard work.

In fact, the aim of some people comment on the enviroment in beijing recently is not for real atmosphier but for Politics.

Look at this fact, the presidents of america and other countries like europe, russia, etc. came again and again to visit china and live in beijing.

More and more artists and musicians etc come to beijing for performance. Needliss to say famous scientists. all of them are all more noble than most of athlites.

I hvnt seen them appear with respirators. haha.

what is more. most of athletes come to beijing for their international match for many times. who can see their wearing respirator play in the match field?

Is this olympic games very special? I dont think so.

Government's political show!!!

I am against the Olympics, he should affect the lives of many, including me. . Olympic Games only to the Government Lianshangtiejin only.

In China, everything is possible, should be - officials as the foundation of society!

All - A quality TV documentary, on the topic of China's environment, aired this past weekend on my local affiliate of the US Public Broadcasting Systems (PBS): "China: From the Inside", http://www.pbs.org/kqed/chinainside/. Definitely worth your time to watch if you have the time, to give your China viewing during the Olympics a little added depth. -april05

If they start taking pollution seriously, there goes the cheap products that is exported. It will drive the costs up and then some companies will reopen their factories in their home countries as it will no longer be cheaper to have it made there. As much as I'd like to see the "world" cleaned up, I don't think it would be permanent there as I too believe it's a show for the world and will go back to as before.

Saw an update last night, on the PBS's Newshour program, that said the bulk of the "perma"-pollution that hangs over Beijing isn't sourced from the city itself, but comes from a busy industrial region far to the south, and is pushed north by prevailing winds. University of Rhode Island atmospheric chemist Kenneth Rahn was interviewed, and gave his opinion. With this in mind, it begs the question as to whether regions south of Beijing have also taken measures to reduce their emissions? - april05