Beijing has promised to clean up air pollution in advance of the Beijing Olympics. But the means to this end has largely revolved around manipulations of statistics, according to The Wall Street Journal. The report of 22 blue sky days in January, the most recorded in a month, received wide coverage in the popular press. The means to this goal include the movement of pollution sensing devices to less polluted parts of the city, and changing the methodology by which it measures pollution.
This case points to a need for greater international oversight of environmental measures. As we begin to understand the cumulative detrimental effects that we’re exerting on the environment through our actions, hopefully we’ll see countries take responsibility for harmful effects outside their borders.
