[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/EW-05-01-12-Beijing-Olympics-.mp3|titles=EW 05-01-12 Beijing Olympics]
Like most developing countries, China has prioritized economic development over environmental protection. But after winning the right to host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, the country made a commitment to address its pollution problem. Olympic organizers promised blue skies over Beijing.
The world was skeptical. But China undertook a number of measures to control pollution, including closing factories, stopping construction, and limiting private vehicle traffic.
Scientists who measured air quality before, during, and after the Beijing Olympics noted significant reductions in major pollutants. Particulate matter was reduced more than sixty percent; nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides were down by forty to sixty percent. Some scientists believe that these reductions were achieved in part because of favorable weather conditions.
Even with the dramatic reductions, athletes and spectators still experienced worse air quality than at any recent Olympic games. The visitors’ short-term exposure to pollutants probably caused no long-term health problems. But the citizens of Beijing are constantly exposed to a level of pollution that can contribute to respiratory ailments and cardiovascular disease.
After the Olympics, the pollution controls were rescinded. When scientists measured pollutants a year later, they were back to pre-Olympic levels.
Every four years, we hear about Olympic host cities making similar efforts—either to control pollution, to improve traffic conditions for guests, or both.
But pollution control shouldn’t be an Olympic event. It should be an every day event.
Links
Abstract: Impacts of pollution controls on air quality in Beijing during the 2008 Olympic Games.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21488491
Athletes, Spectators Faced Unprecedented Air Pollution At 2008 Olympic Games
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090619130409.htm
Photo, taken on September 18, 2009 using a Panasonic DMC-FZ28, courtesy of Megan Eaves via Flickr.