BEIJING OLYMPICS: China unveils emergency air quality measure

By Jim Yardley
New York Times
Published: July 31, 2008

Chinese environmental officials today laid out strict emergency pollution controls for the Olympic Games that would involve further factory closures and more traffic restrictions if the air quality fails to meet designated standards when the games begin Aug. 8.

The new measures would only be used in the case of "extremely unfavorable weather conditions," like hot, humid air without wind that would disperse the pollution.

Officials have already instituted major restrictions on cars and factories designed to improve air quality. Certain high-polluting vehicles have been banned from Beijing's roads, and the city has instituted alternate-day driving restrictions where motorists are only allowed to drive on even or odd dates. Many factories and construction sites in Beijing and outlying areas have also been temporarily shuttered.

But Beijing's skies still failed to meet China's national air quality standards -- which are more lenient than those of the United States -- four days in a row. The situation has improved in recent days, but China is prepared to close more factories and add new driving prohibitions that would take another 10 percent of vehicles off the streets.

"I'm optimistic," said Zhu Tong, a Peking University professor and an air quality adviser for the Olympics. "If I were an athlete, I would not be concerned".

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