The Air, Over There

The road to this year’s Olympics has been fraught with controversy, from the political situation in Tibet, to the conditions and questionable policies of workplaces in China, and most basically—the air quality. Those cheap goods from abroad do come at a price, and a polluting one at that.
 
While it has been easy to turn a blind eye to China’s green issues, the Olympics is putting the spotlight back on the country and what we see is not exactly pretty. But the New Statesman reports that the Chinese government is shutting down nearby factories during the Games, prohibiting car-idling and other “green” measures taken solely, and at any cost, to make the Olympics look pretty.
 
The New York Times notes that because of a lot of recent rain and haze, however, the blue skies may be difficult do deliver. With one month until the opening ceremonies, it remains to be seen if these temporary fixes will suffice. How do you feel about a country blatantly “going green” temporarily, without many permanent green plans?