The legacy of the air pollution reduction measures implemented in connection with the 2008 Beijing Olympics is providing the Chinese capital city with its cleanest air in ten years, Chinese officials stated on August 18th 2009.  Speaking a year on from the Olympics, they highlighted how between January and July 2009, 171 low pollution days had been recorded – a 22 day gain on the same period in 2008.  However, while the air quality improvement is noticeable, there is still some ground to be covered before Beijing can rank alongside the cleanest air cities around the globe.  What’s more, a large amount of capital was needed to get Beijing to the level it is at now – a spend that may not be able to be reproduced across China as a whole.

“All the major measures taken by the city were expensive and not easily replicated elsewhere”, Greenpeace’s Yang Ailun explained.

Air Pollution Reduction

Prior to the 2008 event, Beijing’s reputation for heavy air and limited visibility was a source of concern for officials, Olympic athletes and spectators alike.  China responded by implementing a wide range of air pollution reduction measures which – according to UNEP (the UN’s Environmental Programme) – cost $17 billion.  These included a ban on private motor vehicles driving along Beijing’s road network and coal boiler conversions, as well as relocating high-emitting industrial facilities.  

The result, said UNEP, was that Beijing air pollution in August 2008 dropped 36 per cent below that recorded during previous Augusts, and this effect has carried over into 2009, with more so-called “blue sky days” being witnessed.  Rather than referring directly to actual cloudless blue skies, “blue sky days” are those when three particular air pollutants are present at certain, acceptable levels.

Air Pollution in Beijing

According to some analysts though, Chinese officials are underplaying the true scale of air pollution in Beijing.  For example, on one hazy day earlier on in August 2009, the Chinese government described the air quality as “good”, whereas the Beijing-based US Embassy referred to it as “unhealthy”.

Furthermore, a number of the Beijing Olympic pollution reduction measures were only meant to be temporary fixes, like the car ban: the majority of private motor vehicles having come back to Beijing soon after the games had ended.

Greenpeace’s Ms Yang proposed that, rather than implement an overall ban on vehicles, measures such as fuel taxation could be more effective. “That kind of policy would be much more efficient than simple administrative measures”, she stated.

See also:

Beijing Air Quality Measures Continued