China Shutting Down Factories to Reduce Pollution Before Olympics
July 14, 2008 · Print This Article
China has been struggling with their poor air quality in the run-up to the Olympics, and they’ve finally come up with somewhat of a plan, even if it’s just temporary. The industrial port of Tianjin, 70 miles southeast of Beijing, has been ordered to shut down operations at 40 factories for 2 months. Officials are hoping that the temporary shutdowns will have an effect on air quality, which was recently reported to be 5 times the World Health Organization’s safety limit.
From the International Herald Tribune:
Beijing’s air quality remains a major concern for the Games as the city continues to struggle with pollution, despite a $20 billion government cleanup campaign. Beijing is also a victim of its neighborhood: pollution blows in from surrounding regions, which are dotted with coal mines, coal-fired power plants, steel mills, cement factories and other clusters of heavy industry.
The Olympic opening ceremony is Aug. 8, and meteorologists have said that officials must begin closing factories a few weeks in advance to make a difference. The suspensions in Tianjin will begin on July 25 and continue until Sept. 30, after the conclusion of the Paralympics in Beijing, according to Xinhua, the country’s official news agency.
Tianjin is a host city for the Olympic soccer competition, and work at 26 construction sites near the city’s Olympic stadium will be suspended.
A few other nearby cities will also be temporarily closing down factories and construction work, including Tangshan. Starting July 20th, Beijing will also be putting into place alternate-day driving restrictions to ease traffic and reduce pollution.
If only this weren’t a temporary measure. It’s great that they’re doing something about the problem before millions of visitors descend upon the country and start breathing in the nasty polluted air, but why not extend it? Aren’t China’s citizens worth the same care? Hopefully all of this will lead China to realize that all of that pollution needs to be controlled on a more permanent basis.
Link [International Herald Tribune]
Photo credit: Flickr user duffman34
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Am I the only one wondering about the workers at these factories? I don’t see anything about them in the article.
@Clare — Not sure what you are worried about. If it is that these people will be out of jobs, no worries. China is a Commy country, no? So they will be taken care of.
If you are worried about their working conditions — you probably should be. I am sure whatever people are breathing outside these poor schlubs are breathing inside x100.