All eyes on China: Workers eat in front of the Bird's Nest stadium on 31 July. China unveiled a string of potential last-ditch measures to battle the city's defiant smog ahead of the games, as Beijing was again shrouded in a cloak of haze.
Credit: AFP
The latest technology
The techniques being used during the Olympics showcase China's latest monitoring technologies that can now measure air quality out in the field, as well as air samples in the laboratory.
Ultraviolet and infrared radiation spectroscopy technologies help to monitor trace gases in the atmosphere. To study the correlation between pollutants and traffic, microwave radars have been installed at main roads in Beijing to count the vehicles on the road each hour.
Meteorological instruments also measure temperature, humidity, air pressure, wind speed and direction, to better understand how pollutants spread in different weather conditions.
And much of the equipment used is produced in China for China's needs.
"About 70 per cent of the devices used in the [monitoring] network were developed domestically, including the equipment that measures pollutants such as nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, methane, ammonia and VOCs," says Liu Wenqing, a member of an expert panel for China's National High-Tech Programme, which has earmarked several million dollars annually for environment projects.
But Liu says more could be done, pointing out that China has launched dozens of satellites, but not one has been used for air quality monitoring. Instead, China uses foreign satellite data. Yet the United States and some European countries, such as the United Kingdom, have used remote sensing satellites for air quality monitoring since 1995.
"We do not lack talents or technology, but policy support," says Liu.
China also lacks the large-scale monitoring equipment that can provide more accurate data, and the equipment to deal with extreme air pollution emergencies, such as an explosion at a chemical factory or a major gas leakage, Liu adds.
Further afield and the future
As the Olympics approach, scientists are watching closely to see how effective pollution control will be, both for Beijing and beyond.
U.S. scientists believe that as much as 25 per cent of the air pollution in Los Angeles comes from China. An article in the Los Angeles Times newspaper stated, "When the Chinese undertake this enormous change in their emissions, it will send a signal to the United States that the control of air pollution in one part of the world can in fact affect the atmosphere on the other side of the globe".
"The scientific community should plan immediately to take advantage of this monumental experiment, mobilising to measure the effect by studying pollution levels before, during and after the great shutdown," the article reads.
Los Angeles itself took radical measures to cut smog in 1984 when it hosted the Olympics, forcing political leaders to tackle the issue.
Chinese scientists hope for a similar effect. The monitoring area for the Olympics includes 79 cities in the greater Beijing area and CAS is looking to expand this network in the long run, including to the two city clusters of Guangzhou and Shanghai.
CAS has already begun cooperating with Guangzhou and Shanghai to promote regional air quality management. The Beijing experience will be particularly useful since Shanghai will host the 2010 World Expo and Guangzhou will host the 2010 Asian Games.
In April, CAS signed a contract with the Beijing municipal government to jointly tackle Beijing's long-term air pollution. The city's five-year environmental plan (2005–10) aims to cut major air pollutants by 20 per cent of 2005 levels and develop an environmental management system in Beijing and nearby cities.
All eyes are on China, for the Olympics and beyond.
Wang Ying is a writer in China for SciDev.net.
This feature was originally published on SciDev.net.
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