Posted earlier today on CNN.com

Air pollution still a problem in Beijing

• Story Highlights
• Environmental official says air quality will be "good" for the Beijing Olympics
  
• Promise came after thick pollution blanketed the Chinese capital on Sunday
  
• IOC chief warned outdoor endurance events will be postponed if air quality poor

BEIJING, China (AP) -- Thick pollution blanketed the Chinese capital on Sunday -- one of the smoggiest days seen in the past month -- but a city environmental official pledged that the air quality would be "good" by the time the Beijing Olympics start. Despite tough traffic restrictions imposed a week ago to help reduce pollution, visibility was a half-mile in parts of the city.

At the opening of the Athletes' Village on Sunday, the complex was invisible from the nearby main Olympic Green. Pollution levels remain one of the biggest question marks hanging over the games, which begin August 8.

"The air quality in August will be good," Du Shaozhong, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, told reporters Sunday. Du blamed the thick haze on a combination of fog and light wind unable to blow away the pollution, but he said pollution levels now are 20 percent lower than one year ago in similar weather conditions. He did not provide any details. "Our job is to decrease the pollution as much as possible, but sometimes it is very common to have fog in Beijing at this time," Du said.

Olympic athletes have been trickling into Beijing, but are expected to begin arriving in larger numbers this week. Some, though, were headed to training sites in South Korea, Japan and other places to avoid the Beijing air until the last possible minute. "No, it doesn't really look so good, but as I said, yesterday was better, said Gunilla Lindberg, an International Olympic Committee vice president from Sweden who is staying in the Athletes' Village. "The day I arrived, Tuesday, was awful." "We try to be hopeful. Hopefully we are lucky during the games as we were with Atlanta, Athens and Barcelona," she added.

Jacques Rogge, president of the IOC, has warned that outdoor endurance events will be postponed if the air quality is poor. Drastic efforts to curb pollution include pulling half of Beijing's 3.3 million vehicles off the roads, closing factories in the city and in a half dozen surrounding provinces, and halting most construction in the capital. Some 300,000 heavily polluting vehicles, such as aging industrial trucks, have been banned since July 1.

Experts have said that while the measures are sure to reduce pollution, they are not a guarantee for blue skies during the games. Wind can blow pollution to Beijing from thousands of miles away, while a lack of wind can cause chemicals and particulate matter to build up in the city. "There's only so much you can do with local emission reduction," said Veerabhadran Ramanathan, an atmospheric scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego. He is leading a team that is studying the impact of Beijing's pollution reduction measures and added: "You're basically at the mercy of the winds."

Conversely, the following article was printed today in Propaganda Daily (by that, I mean China Daily):

Beijing confident of clean air during Olympics

Xinhua
Updated: 2008-07-27 09:15

BEIJING - Beijing is confident to meet its air quality commitment by maintaining clean air during the upcoming Olympics, the Olympics organizers said on Saturday.

Beijing's skies are looking bluer in the last few days since it imposed a slew of severe restrictions. [Xinhua]

Beijing has pledged three commitments in terms of the air quality, namely, monitoring everyday the four major pollutants of sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and inhalable particulates, striving for improving air quality throughout the year, and maintaining good air quality during Olympics, said Du Shaozhong, deputy director with the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau.

So far, the city has succeeded in realizing all of its commitments, he added.

Beijing has established a complete monitoring system with 27 branches in the city. Meanwhile, the four major pollutants have been monitored everyday and the results were made public, Du said.

On improving air quality throughout the year, Du said the number of clean air days increased from only 100 in 1998 to 246 last year.

Beijing has taken more than 200 measures since 1998 to improve the city's air quality, most of which will remain in force after the Games.

Since winning the Olympic bid in 2001, Beijing has strived to reduce the four pollutants by 60.8 percent, 39.4 percent, 10.8 percent and 17.8 percent, respectively.

Related readings: City greener as Games approaches Beijing promises air quality during Games UNEP official: Beijing makes progress in air pollution control Beijing's car controls cut emissions by 20 percent

To ensuring clean air for Olympics, Beijing formulated a plan last October referring to 21 pollution control measures, including pre-Games environmental measures and temporary emission reduction measures during the Games, Du said.

In the first half of 2008, the major pollutants have dropped by 20 percent and particulates reduced by 7 percent.

Beijing took 300,000 high-emission cars off its roads since early July. From July 20, private cars have been stopped on alternate days according to their odd or even number license plates in a bid to improve air quality and ease traffic congestion. The vehicle restrictions have resulted in 20 percent drop of major air pollutants, according to Du.

July has witnessed 22 "blue sky" days, or days with fairly good air quality, out of the first 25 days, Du said. The city had 145 "blue sky" days so far this year, 15 more than the same period last year.

Beijing is to conduct scientific, logical assessment of the air quality during the Olympics, said a confident Du, adding all the measures would definitely ensure satisfactory air quality during the Games.