Beijing will order cutbacks in industry and auto emissions for the Olympic Games, and the effects may be measurable worldwide. From LA Times:
By now, most of us are keenly aware that emissions resulting from the burning of fossil fuels are causing our planet to heat up, altering our climate and putting the survival of plants, animals and even humans in peril. But what we don’t really know is whether it is still possible to stop those emissions and reverse the problem.
Now, it turns out, a great experiment is about to be performed, at enormous financial cost, providing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for science. Several weeks before the 2008 Summer Olympics, in an effort to make Beijing more palatable to foreign visitors, the government of China will begin shutting down industries that emit vast quantities of soot and carbon into the atmosphere surrounding the city. [Full Text]
See also Xinhua’s Beijing Opens New subway Line to Ease Road Congestion
