January 2, 2008
Blue Skies, All of Them Gone*
China’s Olympic goal: Turn smoggy sky blue, by Jim Yardley
“For Beijing’s estimated 12 million residents, pollution is an inescapable health and quality of life issue … fine particle pollution has been exacerbated by a staggering citywide construction binge that shows no signs of letting up … the city will never be able to clean itself up if surrounding industrial provinces are not cleaned up, too … Beijing literally traps and attracts pollution. Surrounded by mountains on three sides, Beijing depends on strong winds to disperse pollution. Yet winds also draw pollution into the city.
Beijing now has more than three million vehicles and is adding roughly 400,000 new cars and trucks each year. Beijing’s reliance on cars and trucks leaves the city’s air with few reprieves. As in other cities, heavy trucks can only enter at nighttime. Diesel exhaust is so severe that Beijing’s levels of PM2.5, a tiny particulate deemed potentially harmful to health, is highest between midnight and 3 a.m. … Beijing’s problems are compounded because the city’s public transportation system was ignored for years.
On Aug. 5, environmental physiologist Jon Kolb measured a rating of fine particulate pollution, or PM10, at 200, roughly four times higher levels deemed safe by the World Health Organization … Beijing’s biggest problem is PM10 and other particulates, which are often the byproduct of construction, industry and cars.
Levels of PM10 remain well above both national and World Health Organization standards. In 2004, the concentration of airborne particulates in Beijing equaled that of New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Chicago and Atlanta combined, according to the United States Embassy in Beijing.”
Last week, or was it the week before last?, the air quality in Beijing was so bad that it shocked even a jaded old timer like me. From the 26th floor of my apartment building I couldn’t see a very brightly-lit building that stands about 100 yards away. I reflected on the situation and smoked a cigarette to clear out my lungs. :-)
*Apologies to Willie Nelson
January 2nd, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Chairman, do you know how often they change the filters of your airconditioning system?
They should post signs at the airport: Breathing in Beijing can cause cancer.
January 2nd, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Markus: It’s the middle of winter so I’m not too worried about the air conditioning now. :-) I guess it gets sucked out about once a year, can’t remember.
January 2nd, 2008 at 7:54 pm
CM said:
“I reflected on the situation and smoked a cigarette to clear out my lungs.”
Who offered you the ‘heater’ ?
January 2nd, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Todd: You forget I’m a long-time shareholder of Philip Morris.
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:39 pm
CM
I was referring to the notion that you don’t choke down those cancer sticks unless someone offers one to you.
January 2nd, 2008 at 10:55 pm
Todd: You have a long memory, but I refer you to my latest bit of bling which happens to hold eight sticks of the devil’s candy at all times.
January 3rd, 2008 at 11:58 pm
keep waiting for some city to build a skyscraper 100 stories tall in giant form of this thing. think one of the ‘highlander’ movies had something like this.
http://www.sharperimage.com/us/en/catalog/product/sku__SI871GRY
January 4th, 2008 at 12:44 am
CM, you think this is going to be a problem for the Olympics? Imagine running a marathon sucking that wind…
January 4th, 2008 at 7:50 am
@pete: You mean one that actually functions as a massive air filter? :-)
@Blair: It’s a problem for all the endurance sports, but I expect traffic, construction, and factory production will be forced to a standstill in the weeks before and during the Olympics which will provide a small window of clean air.
January 4th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
yeah- i think i makes sense. or one that has the metal plate that attracts particles and needs to be wiped clean. if u pitch the chinese govt and they build it throw me a bone
January 4th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
pete: The titanium dome at the new Grand Theater apparently attracts a lot of particles and has to be wiped clean (at enormous expense) from time to time.