While many countries around the world have been focusing on “going green” and steering away from global warming, China seems to have just caught on to the growing trend.
As Aug. 8 approaches — the opening day of the Beijing Olympics — the Chinese government is in a frenzy trying to clear their polluted skies. On July 20, the government implemented a temporary air pollution control plan by doing things such as having motorists drive on alternate days depending on whether the last number in their license plate is odd or even. The plan even went so far as to temporarily shut down factories, but even these efforts have done little to clear China’s skies.
On Monday, China Daily, China’s official English-language newspaper, warned that officials might take more extreme measures to clear up the air, such as forcing up to 90 percent of vehicles off city streets.
China’s polluted air has become a burden for some Olympic game participants. In March, Haile Gebrselassie, an Ethiopian world-record marathon runner who has lung problems, worried about participating in the Beijing Olympics for fear the pollution would damage his health and possibly ruin his chances to participate in the 2012 London games. He announced he will participate in the games Friday.
China is crazy if they think they can fix decades of damage in two weeks.
They knew more than seven years ago that the 2008 Olympics would be held in Beijing and yet they’ve just begun to take measures to improve their air quality. Instead of taking extreme measures just two weeks before the games, China could have taken small steps to improve their environment, like closely monitoring the factories to make sure they weren’t violating standards or encouraging more people to utilize public transportation.
Even though the Olympic games will bring money into the economy, China is taking a risk by shutting down its factories. Their economy might take a blow if they cease production until after the Olympics. If employees aren’t being reimbursed for this sort of impromptu layoff, many families could possibly suffer.
It’s hard to believe that China is going to be a representation of the world when they seem to lag behind many countries on certain issues. The government’s decision to loosen their Internet for tourists during the Olympics and their scrambling to improve their environment can make people question whether they are truly prepared for the progressive stream of people that will flock there for the Olympics.
It’s clear that China is under a lot of pressure in trying to make themselves look more appealing to the world. Although it’s great that the government has finally started to care that their habits are contributing to harming the earth, it’s unfortunate that the Olympic games had to force them to do so. One can only hope that China will continue to improve their environmental conditions after the Olympic game winners are crowned and tourists have returned home.
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