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Heavy pollution blankets Tiananmen Square, Beijing, on 27 December 2007. Chinese authorities are taking drastic measures to improve the city's air quality for the Olympics. Bad air is just one of many environmental challenges China is facing.
China's Environmental Challenges
Three Gorges Dam: Into the Unknown
A marvel of engineering, the Three Gorges Dam will start operating at full capacity later this year. Already under way is an epic experiment on how a dam impacts the environment.
Fears Over Western Water Crisis
Dramatic reductions in water flow in the Tarim River, the lifeblood of Xinjiang Province, mean provincial authorities must act fast to conserve water and find alternative water sources.
A Green Fervor Sweeps the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau
In a controversial venture, officials plan to halt open grazing, eradicate rodents, restore "degraded" grasslands, improve wetlands, and plant many trees and shrubs.
Beijing's Marathon Run to Clean Foul Air Nears Finish Line
Drastic measures have brought down levels of some pollutants; a return to business as usual after the Olympics could be bad for health.