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Blue Sky Over Beijing?

Posted on Wednesday, 6 August 2008 by neeners01

For the first time in several weeks, blue sky appeared over Beijing. According to the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, the air pollution index hit 27 on August 1, down from 69 the previous day.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that the air is finally safe to breathe. In fact, with the Olympics less than one week away, the volatile air quality conditions in Beijing are still a major concern for both Olympic organizers and athletes. On August 1, officials announced that emergency contingency plans would commence for the Olympic Games. This includes taking even more vehicles off the roads and closing down hundreds more factories if the index doesn’t remain low.

In addition, personal vehicle traffic will be reduced based on odd-even license plate numbers. Those with a plate ending in 8 could not drive on August 8 or 18 yet others with even-numbered plates could do so. This strategy is anticipated to remove another 10 % of all vehicle traffic from the streets.

As athletes begin to arrive this week, many are opting to relocate to Korea and Japan for the majority of their stay. They will likely come into Beijing only to compete and then return home.

Related Links for this article:
http://blogs.chron.com/sportsupdate/archives/olympics_2008_smog_blog/
http://english.ntdtv.com/?c=145&a=4293
http://www.3plwire.com/2008/06/17/beijing-olympic-games-logistics-supply-chain-impact-update/

Current additional news – Beijing air quality

Related links at this weblog site:

– Nina M. Bell, CFRE

Blue Sky Over Beijing?
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