A Month Before Games, Beijing's Air Worst in China

Sinobyte:

Despite advertised measures to decrease pollution, as we approach the one month countdown to the Beijing Olympics, the government's numbers rank Beijing as having the dirtiest air in China.

With a rating of 98, officially a "blue sky day" but only by two points, Beijing yesterday had the dirtiest air among monitored cities according to the Chinese government website that releases daily pollution figures.

Only four other cities, including the capitals of Sichuan, Qinghai, and Liaoning Provinces, ranked above 90 on the scale.

Read the whole story: Sinobyte

Comments

[emsique]

China is our main manufacturer, whether we like it or not. All we ask of them is to make it cheap. The electricity generated to make all the crap we buy is generated by coal. It is transported by diesel powered trucks, trains and boats, none of which have the same pollution standards we have. We do not require that they do our manufacturing cleanly, only cheaply.

[Uosdwis]

The air probably would've finished off Jim McKay. This is going to be a disaster, and in HDTV, so you actually make out the particles!

[ShawnMichel]

Plan on watching even 1 second of the Genocide Olympics? Then you are fully and completely complicit in that genocide, and in all the other crimes China is guilty of. Period.

Wake up, idiots.

[ssaz]

I wouldn't go to China if you paid me to do so. The government is tyrannical and couldn't give two cents about human rights. The US should completely rethink it's position about China as a strategic economic trading partner. And just to be fair, our government is also a tyranny until George Bush and his team of axe men are gone. The point is that we shouldn't be rewarding a government like that of China for failing to be transparent in it's financial, social, and political issues.

[mamacat]

The amount of pollution produced in China is astounding. Just as bad, it does not look like they intend to do anything to stop the rate of increase of the pollution. They already have surpassed the U.S. as the world's dirtiest polluter. So, the U.S. only gets the silver medal in polluting.

China's production of pollution, as the world's cheap manufacturing base, is getting so bad, that it may soon be comparable to the car with its engine on, inside a locked garage.

The world needs to continue with research developing alternatives to petroleum and coal, and when the technology is cheap enough, China will likely adopt it. In fact, once the techonogy is invented, China will likely produce it.

[MaracaKabob]

China is also order those with stinky socks to wash they're feet and those with stinky fish breath will be forced to floss. Also, no breathing allowed.

[darthdarcy]

China is a huge polluter and that's why Kyoto was a farse if you were a real environmentalist the Chinese coal seam fires are so bad they can be seen from space with the naked eye and create as much CO2 as all the cars and lite trucks in the U.S. including SUV's and that's just their Coal Seam Fires burning out of control producing nothing...

[wadenelson1]

Here's an interesting piece on coal seam fires, domestic AND abroad.

As for being visible from space, you got a link for that? I think it's urban legend.

http://www.celsias.com/article/fire-in-the-hole-coals-underground-secret/

[johnnygoodwud]

i smell olympic disaster lucking in those smog fumes.

[ErnestineBass]

I hear you will be attending the opening ceremonies, Mr. BOOOsh. Good.

Take a deep whiff, you arrogant dunderhead.

That's the smell of your "legacy".