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China Failing to Clear Air for Olympics

Posted by: Michael Dudley

30 July 2008 - 6:00am

Its efforts to reduce air pollution in advance of the Olympics failing, Beijing is considering even more draconian measures, including removing up to 90% of cars from the streets.

"With heavy smog still shrouding the city and the Olympics only 10 days away, Beijing is considering a series of emergency measures to fight pollution, including the removal of up to 90 per cent of cars from the streets.

The emergency measures could also include the shutdown of more factories and the complete closing of all construction sites in the capital, the Chinese state media reported yesterday.

The haze in Beijing was so bad yesterday that visibility was reduced to just a few hundred metres. Olympic stadiums were barely visible behind the smog. The city's air quality has been dangerously unhealthy for the past four days, exceeding the national standards for the pollution index, the state-run China Daily reported yesterday.

China has promised a 'green Olympics' in Beijing, but there is growing concern about the smog. Environmental group Greenpeace reported yesterday that the level of small particles in the air (PM10, a key measure of pollution) is still twice as high in the city as the maximum recommended by the World Health Organization."

Full Story: Worsening pollution prompts crackdown in Beijing
Source: The Globe and Mail, July 29, 2008
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But why not just require basic accessibility, such as no-step entrances and wider doorways? It seems off the mark to argue that it's inappropriate to place this kind of requirement on homebuilders.
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