July 30, 2009
Posted: 953 GMT

Beijing, beautiful one day, polluted the next, and the next, and the next...

I guess I filed the story about Beijing's blue skies a little too soon. 

It is true the city has had a record run of blue sky days. It is true the pollution levels had been coming down... But since that story went to air, the old grey haze is back. Sods law.

In fact the US embassy air monitoring station which tracks the smallest and most hazardous pollution says the air on Thursday was "very unhealthy" and at times "hazardous". To be fair it's just one station, and not indicative of the entire city, but at least it gives you an idea.

This could be just a bump on the road, or maybe its an unwelcome sign China's economy is picking up steam.

Some brokers will tell you the color of China's sky is a better economic indicator than the share market or the governemt's statistics.

I was told recently that some of the smaller steel works have now fired up again because prices have steadily risen.

If this is true, then maybe unhealthy air is a good measure of the health of the economy, and sadly it seems they're inversely related.

Posted by: ,
Filed under: Asia • China • Economy


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gogo   August 1st, 2009 1031 GMT

Imagine, that all people in India and China would have as big house as Al Gore and fly around the globe by Boening like Madona. I suppose that in this case the average world temperature would increase about 10 degrees Celsium per year.

Keith Talwall   August 2nd, 2009 046 GMT

Wars never are good thing for human. But some still manage to make profits out of those.

WV   August 2nd, 2009 1723 GMT

What skies have you been watching. Just spent a month there and had about three blue days. The rest were so hazy, you could not take photos of buildings more than 100 yards away. Some days were just plain black. It was true of Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, everywhere. Cranking up a couple of steel mills could not possibly create such problems. It seems nobody in China drives small, fuel efficient cars, and the traffic is the worst I have experienced in the more than 100 countries I have visited. China just doesn't give a damn about the environment despite those nice little signs with slogans scattered along roadsides.

HH   August 3rd, 2009 1532 GMT

Well, it is time to pull cars off the road and shut down some plants again.

It maybe better to reduce its population as well as its demands.

ABC   August 3rd, 2009 1538 GMT

If it is too many people not driving fuel efficient cars, the government could make them do so if it chooses to.

Wang Meng   August 3rd, 2009 1543 GMT

"It seems nobody in China drives small, fuel efficient cars", watch your word before you say them! Most Chinese are driving most efficient and little fuel consumption cars all through the word. What the average car fuel consumption in US? I mean the GMC and other heavy American style cars. You are creating the most pullution all over the world, but it seems only you take care of air ????? Amazing!!! I have to say, you American guys has bias upon China, which is driven by your stupid media and hostile politician, who regard China`s boom threaten his benefit, any way, "who still live in Cold War". In Amrican eyes, it seems all the world is evil places, except US.

David   August 3rd, 2009 1700 GMT

This country's corporations have single-handedly given away our jobs to China. You can't even tell me right now that they are jobs Americans wouldnt do. Oh wait, thats right....corporations would have to pay more on wages. I guess we know where their loyalty lies...don't expect us to be loyal in return.

zeke   August 3rd, 2009 2152 GMT

Actually, most people in China don't even drive and when they do they are driving much smaller and more fuel efficient cars than most American cars.
And, it is steel mills like this one, http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/olympics/article4360253.ece, that can easily create the type of haze found in Beijing.

Robert   August 4th, 2009 1838 GMT

Sounds like when smoke stacks and factories where celebrated a sign of success here in the west. To bad they cant skip that part of the development....Now that would be some bragging rights there.

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