The Air Over There: As the Olympics End, a Look Back at Air Quality

The Olympics have come and gone amid a flurry of panic over the air quality in Beijing. But now that the athletes are packed up and boarding planes, we have a consensus: The air wasn't nearly as bad as everyone feared. We described last month how the Chinese government closed down factories near Beijing and only allowed cars on the road every other day. Months into the clean air diet and billions of dollars later, Beijing set a record of its own: It had eight straight days of “excellent” air, the longest stretch of good weather the city has seen in a decade. The blue skies may actually have been a matter of luck, as most of the pollution in Beijing comes from industries in the south rather than the city itself. Still, there's a downside: Some reports have suggested that the cleaner air may actually increase the effects of ...