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| Officials are worried about air pollution in and near Beijing during the upcoming Winter Olympics next month. |
"With less than two weeks to go until the Opening Ceremonies of the Beijing Winter Olympics, the Chinese government said is battling 'extremely unfavorable' weather to clear the city's skies of hazardous smog."
Air quality in Beijing has a reputation of being lousy, especially in the winter, when temperature inversions trap pollutants over the city.
An inversion is a layer of relatively warm air over a layer of colder air at the surface. The inversion acrs as a lid, preventing pollutants from blowing away and dispersing.
The Chinese government has been working for months, even years, to find ways to minimize the winter pollution in time for the Olympics.
"In an attempt to clear the smoggy skies, steel plants around the city were ordered to cut production in half in August and coal stoves in 25 million households across northern China were replaced with gas or electric burners ahead of the Games."
Fine particulates which can cause problems ranging from heart attacks to lung cancer to premature babies, was at 33 micrograms per cubic meter of air last year.. That's down by a third from 2013 but still about six times higher than levels recommended by the World Health Organization, notes Agence France-Presse.
Fossil fuels are of course a huge source of the problem in China. Almost 60 percent of China's economy is powered by coal. China has also seen surges in fossil fuel imports and mining to combat power shortages that have dampened factory output and the overall economy.
The immediate weather forecast is not terribly encouraging. Conditions favoring a temperature inversion are expected to intensify as we approach the end of the month. Chinese celebrate Lunar New Year's Eve on January 31 with fireworks, which would certainly worsen the pollution in Beijing.
The Olympics are scheduled to run from February 4 to 20.
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