Beijing: Haze is Back

Bad news for Beijing and arriving athletes. The haze is back. The Air Pollution Index is now in its second day around the 100 mark, above which is considered unhealthy. I'd bet that the responsible departments as we say in China are having some pretty agitated meetings about whether or not (or when, actually) to implement Plan B, which cuts back the number of cars by another 10 per cent from the 50 per cent level now. Or mayeb even the even more radical plan that was mooted in the China Daily that would allow people to drive only on dates whose last digit matched that on their license plate, which would put only 10 per cent of cars on the road on any given day.

Otherwise, it all depends on the weather now. A good summer thunderstorm would clear the air nicely. And predictions seem to vary but some are saying there's a 40 per cent chance of storms in the coming days, so maybe the city will catch a break. On the other hand, with the luck China has had this year, earthquake, snow storms, train wrecks etc, the only storm will be a biggie at eight minutes past eight on Friday, 8.8.08.