At 2pm today:


Then 5 hours later:

I lack words to describe what "437" air smells like, but those of you who aren't in "the Capital" this evening should count your blessings. Ironically, traffic was abnormally light today.

Ugh. Just about to head out of the office, I hope it's better now.

They lacked words to describe when its >500...so they briefly labeled it "Crazy Bad".

http://blog.strategy4china.com/wp-co...01120BJair.jpg

By 9p, the qualitative rating dropped to "unhealthy" (very good by local standards); perhaps it pays to work late.

01-23-2012; 02:00; PM2.5; 972.0; 500; Beyond Index // Ozone; 0.0; 0; No Reading

Woah!
Due to fireworks?

Probably. I looked out the window between midnight and 1 am, and the sky was extremely cloudy with all the smoke haze from the explosives. I was very close to the US Embassy area last night, and there were heavy explosives going off for hours around there with tons of smoke and particles flying around. So the pollution sensor certainly would have been exposed to that.

For sure. The AQI rating started to drop from 3a onward, and got down to 79 by noon (which is remarkably low for BJ). The reason I posted about last night's AQI was that I had never seen a reading that high, but I'd be happy as a clam if bad air was only present between 1 and 4 in the morning on a regular basis.

That must suck to be living in a toxic waste dump created ....duping the Chinese by greedy foreign capatilists.:td:

If Spring Festival lasted all year, this city would be completely livable (go ahead; light off fireworks every single night, and I'd still take it).

The drop off in pollution this week, while partly due to the shift in the weather (Siberian winds), is clearly stems from the drop off in traffic on the roads; 5 million cars = really bad air.

In past years, construction dust, and storms, and factory emissions were also culprits, but these variables have been eliminated for the most part. It is all about the cars!

So, I've been thinking. If driving was incredibly expensive (think Singapore model where you pay a premium to enter the heart of the city during peak times), the quality of life would be much better on the whole. When the subway expansion is complete, it will be possible to go from anywhere to anywhere, which is great, but will entail some insanely long rides. Give us some express trains like Tokyo (e.g. CBD to Wudaokou), and we'll be in good shape. Taxi fares should also be 100% higher than current levels; those guys deserve to make a decent living, and if they could, it would be possible to fetch them without outrunning old ladies.

Shanghai has done a much better job on this front; y40k for a license plate --> far fewer private cars. And, taxis are expensive enough to encourage the use of mass transit for many people.

Although still too expensive for most people, and no 'status symbol' cache, the BJ government is trying to encourage electric car use: no need for the lottery to buy an electric car. As I've said before, if I could afford it, and had a charging point in a parking space, I would buy a volt.

tb

The powers that be need to set an example and at the minimum go
HYBRID.

Also have large enough vehicle for carpooling. :D

While tough emissions laws/incentives may well have worked wonders in Los Angeles, I'm not convinced that similar laws would solve Beijing's problems. Let's say you buy an electric car; sure you'll be emitting no emissions, but you'll still be contributing to the gridlock on third ring, in which a million+ non-electric cars are constantly sitting idle. About a week ago -- when people were still trying to be productive -- I spent a full hour going from Guomao to Chaoyangmen (5 km). I honestly could have made it there on foot and had 20 minutes to spare. Fortunately, Line 6 is on the near horizon, and will reportedly offer express trains!

Quick Fix@:-)

Even-Odd Plates

worked for 08 Olympics

• two thirds of Beijing's 3.29 million cars were off the road
• shorter travel times
• less pollution

I'd be up for that if it applied only for peak hours, not evenings. For me, what I really want a car for is popping over to see friends on the other side of town in the evening: now, I dread it until I've secured a cab...and it means that one is invariably early or late depending on when you manage to get a cab.

tb