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| Posted: August 4, 2008 |
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Atmospheric chemist Kenneth Rahn regularly travels to China to consult with scientists there about the country's air pollution problem. Rahn took your questions about pollution in Beijing during the run-up to the Olympic Games. |
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| Jose Palmer of Tucson, Ariz. asks |
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| Do you think the recent Chinese government efforts to reduce pollution were effective? Was air pollution actually reduced? And, Do you think there is anything that can be done to solve Beijing's air pollution problems? |
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| Kenneth Rahn responds: |
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They were not effective at the time they were introduced, July 20th. The plots in "OlympicWatch" show that nothing changed then, at least for particulate matter (PM). They also have not revealed any clear decrease since then, but we still have a long way to go. Air pollution had to be reduced, but so far by undetectably small amounts. Responding to your second question, Beijing authorities have already reduced their pollution, but mostly in the winter. To further reduce it, they will have to involve the surrounding provinces in a regional control strategy. The Chinese have already formulated such a strategy, and are trying to accelerate it to help the Olympic Games, but these things take decades rather than weeks, and longer for developing countries than for developed countries. They are embarking on a project of at least 50 years.
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