Chinese to takeway kebabs in fight against pollution

Fast food wars hit China. This blog never shys away from confronting the big issues in environmental economics which is why we are pleased to report on China's latest attempt to cut pollution in the run up to the Olympic games.

The humble Kebab has been well and truely skewered.


Beijing Cracks Down on Kebabs to Reduce Pollution [Environmental graffiti]

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The city won’t just be aiming to reduce car driving or factory emissions. They’ve already implemented strategies to reduce those No, Beijing is now cracking down on the offenders you rarely hear about: kebab vendors.

After spending $16 billion to reduce the pollution from cars, taxis, buses, and factories, the city is still in danger of missing its environmental targets. Beijing hopes to meet a “blue sky day” quota, meaning the number of days with a relatively safe level of pollution. To help ensure they actually meet this quota, they’ve begun to crack down on the smaller polluters as well as the larger.

One of the cities main targets in this effort is the army of grilled food vendors in the streets. The outdoor kebab sellers generally burn wood or coal to grill their wares. While this may make their food quite tasty, the smoke created by grilling meat and vegetables adds to the already heavy pollution in the city. Beijing is also cracking down on other polluters at lower levels. Other targets include uncovered trucks and construction sites, which can cause more air pollution when they kick up dust and debris in the construction process.

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