Entries: Sam Unger

Monitoring Air Quality for the 2008 Olympics

Despite widespread concern that air pollution could pose major health problems for athletes competing in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China’s government insists its pollution control policies will be effective in curbing the air quality problem--at least during the games. 

Beijing’s municipal government, along with the Olympic Committee, has put together an emergency task force that will oversee all Olympic operations from a command post of sorts that will be staffed 24-7 for the duration of the games.  The task force will include representatives from eight focus areas that will include the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau--the organization that will be held chiefly responsible for ensuring clean air during the games.  During the games, BEPB says it will deploy a fleet of 20 vans with satellite transmitters that can send air quality measurements from the field back to the control center in downtown Beijing.  Officials could then potentially decide when it’s necessary to issue pollution controls such as shutting down factories or restricting automobile traffic.

Chinese environmental officials say that reaching the projected goal of 80% “blue sky days” during the Olympics won’t be easy, but they say the goal is well within reach. 

Beijing EPB Engineer Jingqi Liu explains different initiatives aimed at reducing the number of cars on the road

The bumper sticker for a program that encourages Beijing residents to leave their cars home at least one day a month to help reduce pollution

Today in Beijing...PLUS poll update

Sam Unger and Ted Land report from Beijing...Watch for poll results/answer. 

Poll: Fog or Pollution

This is the view we woke up to this morning when we looked out the window of our hotel room.  But is it fog or smog? 

We want to know what you think, so post your guess in the comment section below, and later today I’ll post an update with the answer.

Interviewing Climate Change

This afternoon I met with the deputy director of the Beijing Climate Center, Yong Luo.  The Beijing Climate Center is a branch of the China Meteorological Administration (similar to USA’s NOAA) that deals with researching and combating climate change throughout Asia. 

The softspoken but passionate Luo was in Shanghai for training seminars aimed at promoting “an environmentally friendly society,” and I was fortunate to get an interview given his extremely busy schedule.  We met at the China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong, where much of his training is taking place.  The CELAP is an institution funded by China’s central government aimed at providing education and training for high-level government officials. 

The facility was absolutely enormous and reminded me of Chicago’s McCormick Place.

Bike Repair

Even though China’s auto industry is booming, the number of bikes and mopeds on the road is astounding.  It’s no surprise, then, that there are bike repair shops set up across the city, like this one near Fudan University.