CHINA:Fearful of a smog-bound Olympics, Beijing officials will withdraw one million cars from the city's streets next month in an experiment as part of plans to reduce pollution levels for next year's summer games.
As eye-stinging smog shrouded the Chinese capital for another day yesterday, despite rain showers in the afternoon, Beijing organisers are keen to make sure the skies are clear for the Olympics, which start at 8pm on the eighth day of the eighth month in 2008.
Beijing had poor air quality for 15 days last month, the highest June total since 2000, according to the capital's Municipal Bureau of Environmental Protection. City plans to clean up the skies include measures to replace about 50,000 old bangers and 10,000 crocked buses by the end of the year as well as to renovate 16,000 coal-burning factories.
The measures were announced by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which has expressed fears about Beijing pollution affecting athletes' health during the games.
"Concerns [ over pollution] within the IOC executive board were eased," IOC director of communications Giselle Davies was reported saying this week after receiving a progress report. "They have a plan from August 7th-20th this year: one million cars will be off the road."
Pollution has worsened as China's economic boom has fuelled increased energy consumption. Organisers are also trying several other plans designed to prepare the city for the Olympics.
There were 148 million cars on the road by the end of March and the number is rising by 1,000 a day. The first consumer goods many Chinese people will buy when their incomes improve is a car.
"Obviously the test events provide an excellent opportunity to try out contingency measures that may be used if necessary at the Games," said Ms Davies, who was speaking in Guatemala City, where the host venue for the 2014 Winter Olympics was due to be announced today.
China has made major efforts to slow pollution but the sheer momentum of economic growth in what is rapidly becoming the world's factory means officials face an uphill struggle.
The country has promised to cut emissions of major pollutants by 10 percent between 2006 and 2010 but failed last year to meet the annual target.
The government increased car taxes on Sunday for the first time since 1986 to a maximum of 660 yuan a year (about €66) from 320 yuan (€32), according to tax authorities.
In Beijing, where more than 1,000 new cars are registered every day, the tax has increased to 480 yuan (€48) from 200 (€20).
While pollution remains a problem, there are at least signs of an improvement in road safety. China's are still the world's deadliest roads claiming 200 lives a day, but things are getting better as car and road quality improves.
Road accidents killed 37,000 people in the first half of this year, or more than 200 lives a day, Xinhua news agency reported. While still a huge figure, it is a 12.2 per cent drop from the same period last year and the number of accidents fell nearly 17 per cent in the same period.