Beijing air quality
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 6:26 am
I'm sure everyone already knows about this, but I still think it is something everyone should look at. Air quality is going to be a major issue during the running competitions (100 meter and 1500 meter qualifiers were today). I think running is going to be a part of the Olympics where we do not see any world records. The only way these things can be set in a competition that is so detail oriented as running is if everything aligns perfectly. If it's hard to breath runners could have some major problems.
Please keep articles down to 3 paragraphs as per the board policy.
Thank you,
j-far.
www.opt4green.org
One of the biggest stories entering the 2008 Beijing Olympics was the quality of the air. In fact, many Olympians wore masks when they entered Beijing, causing major controversy. Walking through Beijing before the Olympics was like walking with your nose to a car exhaust. With all of the smog it was hard to breath, not to mention running, or riding a bike through the soupy mess.
The reason why Beijing’s air was so bad is because of how much industry and people are in the city. Beijing is home to over 17 million people (more than 2x the size of New York City), and it is one of the industrial capitols of the world. There are also about three million people that drive cars in Beijing, along with thousands of public transportation vehicles.
One of the biggest challenges in reducing emissions for Beijing was setting regulations for vehicles. As soon as Beijing was awarded the Olympics it began to construct buildings, parks, and clean public transportation but emissions standards for small vehicles were not put into place until 2008.
Please keep articles down to 3 paragraphs as per the board policy.
Thank you,
j-far.