Eric's Beijing Diary

One of my colleagues here at the Software College sent me a pollution index chart for China. It is of interest right now, because last weekend was particularly rancid. Out of curiosity, I did a survey of the pollution index for Beijing for all the days since I arrived in China on January 10, 2004. Beijing varies quite a bit, because, since it is a big city, it does have more pollution than a place like Dalian or Xiamen. But when it is breezy, the pollution blows away quickly. For this reason, the pollution doesn't bother me that much--most days are nice. But I am worried about what Beijing will be like if car ownership increases at the current rate. It is impossible to predict, but I hate to think what Beijing will be like 20 years from now, if something is not done to significantly alter that dynamic.