Even-Odd

Beijing recently began even-odd driving days in an effort to reduce air pollution prior to the Olympic games here in a week or three.

Let's suppose, in my one man think tank, that this one action really cleaned it up, that suddenly, all visible signs of air pollution were gone, no more respiratory ailments were reported, grime no longer collected on windows and building exteriors anymore. The sun shone again, the trees turned green from grey, birds could be seen again on eaves and balconies.

Do you think Beijingians would voluntarily continue this odd-even (or even-odd) routine?

What I'm really wondering about are the social implications of temporary forced conservation. My gut feeling tells me that, on the whole, Beijingites are receptive to this inconvenience. They have institutions and social structures in place to absorb this change. There share greater experiences than most societies with individual sacrifices for the common good.


Now suppose this was Cincinnati instead of Beijing.