Impacts of Pollution Controls on Air Quality in Beijing during the 2008 Olympic Games

Publication Type

Journal contribution (peer reviewed)

Authors

Shen, J., Tang, A., Liu, X., Kopsch, J., Fangmeier, A., Goulding, K., Zhang, F.

Year of publication

2011

Published in

Journal of Environmental Quality

Band/Volume

40/

ISBN / ISSN / eISSN

doi 10.2134/jeq2010.0360

Page (from - to)

37-45

Air pollution has become one of the main environmental concerns in China since the 1980s due to China's rapid economic growth and resultant pollution. However, it is difficult to directly evaluate the anthropogenic contribution to air pollution in China. Th e 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing provided a unique opportunity for testing the contribution of anthropogenic pollution because of the clean-up controls on air quality in Beijing enforced over the period of the Games. In this case study, we monitored the concentrations of major air pollutants before, during, and after the Olympics at a suburban site in Beijing. Atmospheric concentrations of PM10, PM2.5, NH3, NO2, SO2, and the particulate ions NH4+, NO3-, SO42-, Ca2+, Mg2+, and K+ all decreased during the Olympic period because of strict emission controls, compared with the same period from 2005 to 2007. For example, the average PM10 concentration (61 µg m-3) during the Olympics was only 37% of that (166 µg m-3) in the same month (August) from 2005 to 2007. However, just 1 mo and 1 yr after the Games had ended, mean concentrations of these pollutants had increased significantly again. Th is rapid "recovery" of air pollutant concentrations after the Olympics suggests that China needs to implement long-lasting decreases in its air pollution in Beijing and other major cities.