“Ready for the world”?
Last week China announced it was shutting down much of its industry in five provinces to clear the air for the Olympics. Apparently that has not been enough. WSJ:
officials are considering shutting even more factories and possibly banning as many as 90% of Beijing’s private vehicles on especially bad days, officials say.
More than a week after traffic restrictions and other measures took effect, the Chinese capital remains mired in a gray haze, and the government’s pollution readings have exceeded its own safe levels on four of the past eight days. The city has been blanketed in hot, humid weather with little wind to blow pollution away, worsening the situation…
Beijing’s air quality is still dangerously polluted. Nearly half of the time since most factories stopped July 20, Beijing’s air-quality index has been above 100, the level China considers safe, and double the level recommended by the World Health Organization.
Background: “When it bid to host the Olympics, Beijing made a series of promises to prepare the city for the international spotlight, including improving infrastructure, cleaning up pollution and opening up to foreign media coverage. At a news conference Sunday to discuss Beijing’s commitments, Tan Xuxiang, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Planning Commission, said that the 37 competition and 56 training venues for the Games had been completed and were “ready for the world.” At least the anaerobic world.