The Olympic Games start tomorrow, and though China has made concerted efforts to cut pollution down before the games begin, today the residents of Beijing woke up to a “white smog,” a phenomenon occurring when pollution is so thick that a skyline is virtually invisible.

How thick is a white smog, you ask? ABC (this is the Australian one, not the Disney one) puts it pretty well as such: “The smog is so thick that passers-by on the streets fail to cast shadows.” Gross. But if rain does hit Beijing tomorrow afternoon, as forecasted, the smog may dissipate prior to the Opening Ceremonies.

Way before this development, the pollution had already become such an issue some athletes had decided not to compete for health reasons. And this isn’t really helping any. At this point, though, it’s up to nature to hopefully lend a helping hand so that the events can proceed unhindered. As it’s not so likely you can take action to help unpollute Beijing before the Opening Ceremony, instead you can takepart here to see fifty ways you can reduce your own pollution output.

The Summer Olympics in Beijing are just about three weeks away, and to attempt to lower pollution levels as much as possible before the games start, China is removing half the cars on the road.   The Associated Press reports:

Under the two-month plan, half of the capital’s 3.3 million cars will be removed from city streets on alternate days, depending on whether the license plate ends in an odd or even number.

The plan came into effect yesterday, apparently creating slightly clearer skies and lighter traffic.   In addition to the traffic limitations, China is adding 3,000 busses to the roads by the time the Games start, which will increase the daily bus capacity from 12.5 million to 15 million people.   Beijing has also opened new subway lines, which are anticipated to carry 1.1 million people every day during the Olympics.

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Stephen Wilkes‘ new show, The Construction of the Olympic Stadium and Other Chinese Public Works, at ClampArt Gallery depicts a nation in massive transition. Perhaps massive isn’t even the right adjective when one considers that China’s recent economic rise is the largest and fastest growth experienced by a single nation in recorded history. Wilkes’ photo exhibition presents public works on a whole new scale, one suited to fit the world’s most populous nation.

Views of construction for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing (”The Data Center”of which is seen left) and the massive Three Gorges Dam (seen below the jump) - the largest dam on earth projected to supply 10% of China’s electricity needs - show a present day society with the appearance of something straight out of science fiction.

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The potential effect of China’s pollution on the 2008 Summer Olympic Games is becoming more and more obvious, as the world record holder in the men’s marathon stated a few months back he will not compete due to pollution, and now the woman’s world record holder says that the pollution could force her to wear a mask when not competing.   Yesterday, Paula Radcliffe stated that the use of a mask while in Beijing may be necessary to help keep her asthma in check.   In an interview with BBC Radio, she said,

“I think the biggest factor is going to be runny eyes, runny nose and sore throat after the event - and if things go according to plan in the race, I don’t particularly care. The biggest thing for me is to make sure my asthma is under control - which it is - and minimise the effects of pollution in the lead-up to the race.” [news.scotsman.com]

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The 2008 Olympic torch relay hasn’t galvanized a lot of warm fuzzy feelings and hand holding this year. Opposition to China’s treatment of Tibet has inspired international protests, with some dissenters even managing to snuff out the torch and delay the tour. Friends of the environment have also taken issue with the unprecedented amount of CO2 the torch relay is leaving in its wake.

By the time the Olympic torch will have successfully reached all 23 international cities on its 85,000 mile global tour, it will have produced 11 million pounds of carbon emissions. Kind of ironic considering China claims to be hosting a “green” Olympics this year.

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China’s plans to build a highway to the top of Mount Everest as part of their overall preparation for the 2008 Beijing Olympics have raised an overflow of environmental concerns. The highway, which will consist of a tarmac route complete with guardrails, will extend from the base camp to the top of the mountain (approx 17,000 ft) and will cost the Chinese government a reported 20 million dollars.

The purpose of the highway is to create easier access to the top of Mount Everest for the ceremonial lighting of the Olympic torch, as well as to pave the way for increased tourism to the remote location:

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