Olympic update: China closes factories for the games
The run up to this year's games in Beijing has already been overflowing with controversy. Whether it's human rights violations in Tibet, the Chinese government's ties to Darfur, or just the fact that Beijing has a nasty smog problem -- it's been one black eye after another for China's reputation on the world stage. Chinese officials may look the other way when it comes to issues like Tibet or Darfur, but when it comes to the smog problem they have a plan that they hope will turn it all around. China will shut down the heaviest polluting industries during the Olympics (July 20th - September 20th). That ought to work, right?
Apparently, officials couldn't come up with a compromise that's less draconian than literally ordering their citizen to stop working for two months. That ought to look really good on their human rights scorecard -- citizens be damned, we've got company.
The government is placing a ban on all digging and concrete pouring in the city, and 19 heavy polluting companies have been told to lower their emissions by 30%. Similar restrictions are to be place on industry in the surrounding provinces.
Other measures include banning about half of Beijing's 3.3 million vehicles, closing gas stations, and banning outdoor spray painting -- good luck at enforcing that last one. All this, just for the summer games that the rest of the world is boycotting.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-15-2008 @ 12:06AM
Ellen Slattery said...
These new attempts are laughable - and a little sad. Not to mention - where were these concerns for people's health/the environment years ago? And even if they do somehow stop factory emissions for a few weeks, as soon as the hubbub dies down, the city's still going to be as polluted as ever.
Okay, Olympic Committee. let's all remember this huge mistake, so the next time you choose a site for the summer olympics, it's not gonna be one that puts every athlete at risk for lung cancer.
Good post, Josh.
-Ellen
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4-15-2008 @ 3:40AM
Justin said...
I am always opposed to contact Olympic Games with politics. I do not understand why so many politicians always contact these two. I think Olympic Games is people's Olympics. Just as Celin Dion has said "I am not a politician, I do not want to see so many political factor in the Games". Yeah, that's definitely right. I have been to China, Chinese people are all welcoming the games. They have prepared a lot for it. Just look at Brownell Susan's book 'Beijing's Games: What the Olympics Mean to China': http://www.dealstudio.com/searchdeals.php?deal_id=96971&ru=279 , you will see many Chinese people are looking foward to ceremony on August, 8th, 2008. I support this game! If those who want to boycott the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, I think we also can boycott the London 2012 for the invasion of Iraq, the humanity crisis in the middle east, and for the brutal killings of civilians in Afghanistan.
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4-15-2008 @ 9:31AM
Phil L. said...
The Olympics have always included national politics - and will always do so.
The modern Olympiad is *designed* around national politics: Only nations can field teams. Winners hoist flags and play anthems. We can't pretend this is about individual athletes in pursuit of personal glory. We can lament that Hitler used the Olympics to bring a newly invigorated Germany to the world's center stage (in spite of Jesse Owen's brilliant performance), or that killers used the Munich games to spread their hate. But the Olympics have national identity at their heart.
Feel free to create games free of anything other than personal identity. But that isn't what the Olympics are in today's world.
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