There is deep concern over air quality in China especially during the 2008 Olympics held there. Concern was raised over the air quality, and its potential effect on the athletes. Beijing committed then to remove 60,000 taxis and buses from the roads by the end of 2007 and relocate 200 local factories, including a prominent steel factory, China’s Olympian attempt to improve air quality during the 2008 summer games did more than provide a healthier atmosphere for the athletes. It also demonstrated that widespread changes in transportation patterns could greatly reduce the threat of climate change. New research by an international team of scientists led by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) indicates that China’s restrictions on motor vehicles had the side benefit of dramatically cutting emissions of carbon dioxide by 24,000 to 96,000 metric tons (about 26,500 to 106,000 U.S. tons) during the event.

Originally posted here:
Beijing 2008 Olympics Air Quality

More on SKCEA.org:

• Key Countries Partner to Reduce Deforestation Emissions
  May 31, 2010 – At the Oslo Climate and Forest Conference in Norway on Friday, over 50 developed and developing countries signed a "Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation" (REDD) partnership, committing to spend over $4 billion in the next three years to redu...
• The BP Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Update
  The explosion of the Transocean Deepwater Horizon rig on April 20 killed 11 people and led to the BP oil spill that threatens coastal Louisiana, Gulf Coast fisheries, Gulf of Mexico ecosystems, and perhaps the East Coast, as the spill reaches the loop current. Here, you'll find ...
• Logging may destabilize carbon in forest soils
  Logging in temperate zones may release more greenhouse gases than previously thought by destabilizing carbon stored in forest soils, argues a new paper published in the journal Global Change Biology-Bioenergy. The research involved analysis of carbon released from forest manageme...
• Study Shows Coral Will Survive Warming Climate
  A new study has increased hope that some coral species will be able to survive gradual ocean acidification. According to new research published in the journal, Nature Climate Change, a team of international scientists have identified a specific internal mechanism that could permi...
• Critical List: Canada’s pushing tar sands oil; cutting methane also helps cut climate change
  by Sarah Laskow. In 110 meetings over less than two years , the Canadian government tried to convince Europe to delay or derail legislative changes that could affect the imports of tar sands oil. Basically, Canada doesn’t want Europe to know how carbon-heavy the oil is, be...