Airing woes

WITH the air in France turning out to be
a potential killer, the government has
decided to develop 'green pqtrol' by
AD 2000. The bio-fuel will contain
organic elements such as diester,
derived from rapeseed, and ethanol,
-extracted fr 'or beetroot. The bio-fuel
canreportedly reduce the emission of
pollutants like carbon monoxide.

The authorities in Paris are even
toying with the idea of creating two
,bicycle lanes cutting across north-south
and east-west of Paris to encourage cycling. Paris, which figures in the list of
ten most polluted cities in Europe, has
Airing woes some 54 to 83 people dying on account
of its highly polluted air which causes
fatal respiratory diseases.

French ecologists are, however,
highly critical of the government's
moves to curb pollution. They belittle
the fact that pollution measurements
are often made well above the street
level which fails to reflect the actual concentrations, choking pedestrians and
cyclists. They want that laws on pollution should be made more effective
which could mean a direct confrontation with powerful Jobbies like industrialists and carmakers.