Beijing facing an environmental Armageddon?

Today the authorities in Beijing introduced new traffic regulations which it is hoped will remove more than 1.65 million cars from the roads each day.
The rules, in effect until September 20, ban cars with odd- and even-numbered licence plates from the roads on alternate days.

They are part of a wider drive to clear the air in Beijing, which is one of the world's most polluted cities and is regularly enveloped in an acrid smog- a product of humidity, traffic and industrial pollution. So bad is the situation that the New Zealand Olympic team will wear carbon filter masks around the Olympic village to help them cope with the pollution.

After September 20th it is back to normal as an estimated extra 1.65 million cars will go back on the streets of Beijing. Obviously the health of the 17 million inhabitants is of secondary importance. Failure to tackle this problem on a permanent basis will result in catastropic health problems in the future for a large proportion of the population. The financial implications will be horrendous as authorities struggle to wrestle with the consequences.

For the duration of the Olympics it is much more important to showcase the Communist system and enforce higher environmental standards. In the aftermath of the Olympics many of these standards will be dispensed with.

Beijing faces an environmental Armageddon unless the authorities plot a new and radical environmental course. Beijing is not an isolated case. It is believed that 99% of the inhabitants of large urban centres in China breathe in unsafe air. In addition most of the rivers and lakes are seriously polluted whilst 37% of the Chinese land area suffers from soil erosion.

Paris: Olympic Protesters demonstrate against Chinese policy in Tibet

Thousands of Free Tibet supporters from all over Europe gathered today in Paris to protest against the heavily guarded passage of the Olympic torch as it passed through France's capital. About 3,000 French police were part of a security effort to shield the procession route.
The last section of the Olympic torch run through Paris was cancelled after the protests had repeatedly prompted officials to stop the procession, extinguish the flame and put the torch aboard a bus.

Following closely on yesterday's protests in London this has been an unmitigated public relations disaster for the Chinese Government.
Pictures flashed across television screens throughout the world displayed the intensity of the protests and have awakened public opinion to Chinese repression in Tibet. The Chinese Government has endeavoured to hide the reality of the protests from its own people.

In Beijing today, IOC president Jacques Rogge said he was "very concerned" about unrest in Tibet.

The Olympic torch's relay around the world arrives on Wednesday in San Francisco. Protests are planned here also against China's human rights record in both Tibet and Darfur.

The Chinese Government may also face protests at the Olympics. This will serve to keep the issues of Tibet and Darfur alive. However Chinese foreign policy lacks a moral basis and it is doubtful if embarrassment engendered by demonstrations is sufficient to bring about fundamental change.