beijing congestion

Tokyo Tells Large Buildings to Cut CO2 Emissions. Now, Beijing is banning high-emission vehicles. For whatever reason these kinds of things remind me of a ceasefire in a war. If they can stop now, or for a while, why can’t they stop for good? Yellow vehicles are those with, surprise, a yellow sticker on them for not being able to meet Euro I emission standards.

“All yellow-labeled vehicles, most of which are freight trucks, will be banned from roads in Beijing from July 1 to Sept 20,” says Beijing’s environmental protection bureau.

Yesterday Beijing announced that government vehicle usage must be halved…all of this in the run up to the Olympics. So, are the Olympics more important than the planet’s long term livelihood? Seriously, if these kinds of measures can be taken temporarily, why not permanently? Beijing was able to meet its goal of 246 blue-sky days last year. I think we had about 365 such days here in the Valley. (Eating your heart out Beijing?) Seriously, Beijing is to be credited for taking action.

Most yellow-tagged vehicles run through Beijing at night. Think freight trucks. Not surprisingly, Beijing measures 20% more pollutants in the air at night than in the daytime. From 9pm to 4am to be precise. In order to catch the perpetrators, Beijing will patrol 22 laser remote sensing cars to check emissions. How cool is that? It takes about 0.7 seconds to determine emission levels of vehicles. Go Beijing!

Now, where can I get me one of those laser thingees?

If you're new here and you like our articles, how about subscribing free for our updates via RSS feed.

Related posts:

  1. Half of All Government Cars Removed from StreetsBeijing is getting serious about clean air during the Olympics. The city has removed one half of all government vehicles from the streets of Beijing....

  2. Beijing Follows NYC Lead, Sorta Beijing will follow NYC’s lead, sorta, restricting car traffic on roads during certain periods. The 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games are less than 2...

  3. Obama and California Prepare to Take Gloves Off in Fight for Emission RegulationPresident Obama and California are preparing to take the gloves off in the fight for emissions regulation to curb global warming. Normally the phrase ‘take...