With the Olympic Games, scheduled to be held in China’s capital Beijing this year, the hosts have started taking measures to ensure a smooth event. However, the gravest problem that Beijing seems to be facing is the extreme levels of pollution clogging up the city skies and pouring in the form of the ugly acid rains. The skies are always clouded with a mix of auto exhaust, factory pollution and construction dust, thus affecting visibility and causing concerns for the upcoming international event in the china’s capital.
This would be the first time that a developing country is bestowed upon with the honor of hosting the Olympic Games. To keep up to the expectations, Beijing has to assure that the games are not muddled with rains caused by pollution. To ensure this, the country has taken several steps — one being the use of cleaner fuels by declaring new fuel standards.
As per the standards, the retailers should supply gasoline and diesel equivalent to the Euro IV standards, considered as safe causing least possible pollution. This move will cut emissions of sulphur dioxide — a major culprit in causing acid rains by 1,840 tonnes, and thus regulate the pollution levels of the city.
This move was earlier rejected by the government which cited highest economic inflation as the reason, but later complied seeing the dangerous conditions of pollution in the city. The city has also taken up several other measures to minimize pollution, including the lowering of public transport cost. This eventually discourages people from driving, which is estimated to lessen pollution. However, this effort seemed futile considering the fact that almost 1,000 new cars that hit the road everyday in the traffic clogged capital of China.
Image: Smh
Via: Reuters