Beijing launches last-minute smog crackdown
In an effort to avoid international embarrassment and keep Beijing's self-proclaimed 'Green Olympics' from turning into the 'Grey Olympics,' the Chinese capital is rolling out some emergency measures to clear the air before the opening ceremony. Reportedly, the Chinese government is spending $17.58B to curb air pollution -- and to convince athletes not to wear their masks during internationally televised events.For the next month and a half, Chinese workers and businesses will have to endure heavy restrictions in order to keep their city all pretty and clean for their guests. Beijingers will now only be allowed to drive every other day, based on whether their car's license plate ends in an even or odd number. Factories as far as 100km away from the city are facing mandatory closures until mid-September, and almost all building projects have been suspended.
While it's important to cut pollution for the games, from a human rights standpoint, China's already poor record doesn't get any bonus points for putting its citizens out. My guess is, the next set of restrictions will outlaw using the word "Greyjing" in public.
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