My shipmate Matt sent me this story from The Economist which brings news that Beijing is finally recognizing they have an issue with the city’s air pollution. The weather service is now issuing “haze” alerts, rather than “fog.”

Hey, its a baby step. But at least its a step.

Being that the roads in Beijing are choked with traffic I’m not surprised. Remember, it took us an hour to drive 10km to dinner one night, and a similar scene probably plays out on every major street every day in Beijing. I don’t know if anyone seriously inspects Chinese cars for emissions problems (I doubt it). This is not to mention the dozens of factories and power plants which also add to the pollution.

Funny how I didn’t consider until now the effects of this pollution might have on the Olympic athletes. If just walking around Beijing can turn your snot to black, imagine what competing athletically at an Olympic level might do. If I was an Olympic athlete I wouldn’t want my lungs anywhere near Beijing.