Olympics '08: China Weighs Lingering Pollution

OLYPlusSelectPlusSportsOlympics '08: China Weighs Lingering PollutionOlympics '08: China Weighs Lingering PollutionThe Associated PressChinese officials said Thursday that they would shut down more factories and take additional cars off the roads if current pollution curbs do not clear the city's air enough before next week's Olympic Games. (July 31)Ch Beijing pollution olv 20080731 (video of workers picking weeds) PICKING WEEDS ONE BY ONE...THE CHINESE ATTENTION TO DETAIL AT THE OLYMPICS IS SPECTACULAR.(video of creamy white polluted air) WHILE FLOWERS CREATE A COLORFUL DISPLAY ON THE GROUND THE SKY IS PAINTED WITH A CREAMY WHITE LAYER OF POLUTION.(video of cars on the road) THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT HAS INSTITUTED NEW DRIVING RESTRICTIONS AND HAS SHUT DOWN MORE BEIJING FACTORIES FORCING WORKERS TO GO WITH OUT PAYCHECKS.LOCALS SAY THE POLUTED AIR IS NOW IMPROVING BECAUSE OF THE MEASURES. Vivian"It's better than previous years. I think it's better and better." (video of building in the smog) THE GRAND DISPLAYS OF ARCHITECTURE AT THE OLYMPIC VILLAGE SLOWLY DISSAPEARS INTO THE SOUPY AIR DURING THE WORST DAYS.(video of people walking in polluted air) CHINA'S ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION BUREAU SAYS THE AIR QUALITY DATA HAS BEEN IMPROVING SINCE JULY 20TH AND BEIJINGERS AGREE. Paul Kuwa/20 years old "It's clear it's very clear. It's not clear in the early days." MARK CARLSON/STANDUP THE TEXTURE OF THE BEIJING AIR IS VERY SIMULAR TO THAT OF A TROPICAL CLIMATE. IT IS VERY HOT, HUMID AND STICKY. BUT AFTER WALKING AROUND FOR JUST MORE THAN AN HOUR YOU START TO FEEL A TINGLING SENSATION IN YOUR THROAT AND LUNGS FROM BRIETHING IN THE AIR AND IT DOESN'T TAKE LONG FOR SOME CONTACT LENS WEARERS TO START FEELING IRRITATION IN THEIR EYES. (video of pollution test) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HAS CONDUCTED ITS OWN AIR QUALITY TESTS IN BEIJING AND BRIAN HORTON SAYS THE PARTICULATE MATTER FOUND IN THE AIR IS MUCH HIGHER THAN U.S. EPA AND WORLD HEALTH STANDARDS. Brian Horton/The Associated Press"We took particulate measurements and we found them in the 200 range. To give you an idea, the US EPA standard is 50 parts per million." (video of a person wearing a face mask) DESPITE THE POLUTION, PEOPLE WEARING MASKS NEAR THE OLYMPIC VENUES ARE AN UNCOMMON SIGHT.(video of girls with umbrellas and sun in the haze) CHINA IS USING THE OLYMPICS TO OPEN ITSELF TO THE WORLD AND THE COUNTRY WANTS TO BE APPRECIATED FOR ITS HARD WORK NOT ITS POOR AIR QUALITY. MARK CARLSON, THE AP, BEIJING, CHINA.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• oly
• pollution
• olympics
• '08:
• china
• weighs
• lingering

[chenweihao881201]

Yeah,it's heavily polluted,but better than before.

And western coutries are enviroment protector?

They just like move foctories with heaviest pollution to other coutries who can not reject money for their economic situation.

[google2com]

it's amazing..I mean...chinese people put so much into the Olympic and all the media focus on is the air quality.

[jamie9230]

Western countries stop blaming china, they are trying to fix problems.

[Vlaudeimirz]

True. They should be held responsible and should do proactive efforts to manufacture with clean products and harmful wastes should be deal with accordingly. Also prices should be increase and taxed more to be for better working pay and standards and to enforce regulations. This we can all benifit. Clean China means a cleaner world we can live.

[m015094]

You're right, I don't know how to speak Chinese, but I know how to speak Spanish and French and I know enough to not make dumb grammatical mistakes like you. How is that bigoted? It's just a matter of intelligence. And yes, the air in NYC is relatively clear compared to Beijing. I'll agree though, US cities like Los Angeles and Houston have pretty bad pollution problems, but as bad as Beijing. At Beijing got a little bit cleaner for the Olympics.

[withdream]

If it is not because the lazy stupid greedy fat-ass Americans keep buying crap from evil places like WalMart and burning all the world's gas driving their evil StupidUselessVehicles, everywhere else on the earth would have been much better off

[withdream]

Stop criticize ppl's English, bigot! like u know how to speak Chinese. Most Chinese realize the pollution already and are working to improve the environment. What do you think Beijing is? It is a city larger than your wildest imagination. You think air is clear in N.Y.C? lol! If the U.S. has as many ppl as China, it would be a huge landfill already! Actually, it already is, with all the crappy creatures crawling around...

[m015094]

Your English is terrible. I don't really give a damn what the pollution is like in China because I don't have to breathe the air. I was simply stating the the pollution comes from burning things. If they want less pollution, they should burn less crap.

[obbymelons]

it's an honour already to represent her voice and she probably didnt complain becuz she did let them use the voice

[obbymelons]

Ummm dude if they stop the factories u americans and other countries would be less in items since most of the stuff r "made in china"

[Geenclove]

It not really china's fault they have low economy and they have to survive sumhow. China makes penty of stuff more then most countries(not bragging) they work hard. Closing down factory isn't the soultion.This news station or what ever doesn't no the value of a dollar.They have money they have house they have pay check Of course u won't no how hard it is to live in china. n u are also to talk wat does usa produce?(don't answer that ;P) Try looking in a different way