2008 Olympics

I was searching for info about the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. This article is promising about the environmental concerns. The air quality is of concern and will have an impact on the athletes. I thought you might like this article.

Tom


Beijing cleans up its act for 2008 Olympics
By Rachel Kaufman Published Oct/5/2007 China , Peace and Conflict , Environment Rating:
New environmental standards implemented
IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies said, "Safe and healthy competition conditions for athletes are a top priority for the IOC and the organizers, which is why the Beijing Organizing Committee of the Games and the local Chinese authorities are carefully working to identify any necessary solutions to environmental challenges athletes may face.
"We expect [the organizing committee] to gather experiences from the 2007 test events that will help determine in more detail what, if any, contingency plans may be needed in 2008, to ensure the best possible conditions for the athletes," Mrs. Davies said from IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. "Events could be delayed depending on the conditions at game time."
Beijing is not the first Olympic city to face pollution concerns. The Los Angeles, Seoul and Atlanta games also had air-quality problems that were successfully addressed at the time.
Pollution levels are measured on a scale ranging from 0 to 500, with 300 exceeding anything typically seen in the U.S.
"That's severely polluted. That's L.A. on a really, really bad day," Mrs. Turner said, adding that Beijing hit 500 one day last year.
"Beijing's air is much worse than L.A. Even as they won the bid as early as 2001, they were still competing with Mexico City for most polluted capital in the world," she said.
"Every city that takes on the Olympic challenge has a responsibility to not just clean up their act for the Olympics, but indeed to make that a sustainable change," said Jeff Fulgham, chief marketing officer of General Electric.
GE is developing technology to help China provide a greener Olympic environment.
"I think China probably has the greatest challenge, but also it's really stepping up to that challenge," Mr. Fulgham said.
Beijing has converted from coal to cleaner natural gas for heating, Mrs. Turner said.
She said Beijing has gone well beyond its promises to clean up the air in the city. However, the pollution from the industrial areas surrounding Beijing and the increasing number of cars — Beijing adds 1,000 automobiles to its roads each day — remain problems.
"Today there's approximately 3 million cars on the street, also known as 'the parking lot,' " Mrs. Turner said.
To address this problem, "the auto-emission standards in Beijing are much stricter than the national standards, and so the municipal environmental protection bureau can restrict what kinds of cars are sold or driven in Beijing," she said. Most American sport utility vehicles would fail Beijing's emissions standards, she said.
Mr. Fulgham sees "tremendous improvements" in the quality of air and water.
"What we've seen throughout the country are sustainable, truly changes of behavior that are lasting," he said.
"As we're getting closer to the Olympic events, [Beijing is] getting closer to their goal of having 80 percent of buses and 70 percent of the taxis be clean, which does have a lasting impact on the city," Mrs. Turner said.
Since implementing the new environmental standards, 33,000 taxis and buses have been replaced by newer and cleaner vehicles, and many will be stationed across the Olympic Village to help transport people, Mrs. Turner said. Passengers have been banned from smoking inside Chinese cabs.
Beijing also plans to complete four light-rail systems by next year.
"While the Olympics has stimulated these types of pilot projects and clean buildings, this is all just part of what is just a bigger trend in China on more progressive energy and air pollution laws," Mrs. Turner said.
Olympic facilities also are using renewable energy.
"The seven main stadiums in Beijing are equipped with solar generators; 90 percent of the lighting outside of the stadiums and the hot water supply in the Olympics Village is powered by solar energy," Mrs. Turner said.
Mr. Fulgham said China is expected to build 500 new power plants in the next five years and has the chance to do it differently.
"Rather than traditional coal-powered power plants, let's look at new technology," he said.
Mrs. Turner said that within a month after Beijing was awarded the Games, it approved construction of the long-debated Southwater Northward Project — three massive canals from the Yangtze River bringing water to the dry north.
"Beijing cannot be dry in 2008," she said.
A lot of people are not aware of the impact of water scarcity, Mr. Fulgham said. "A billion people today do not have access to fresh water, and that will grow to 3 billion if we don't do something about it by 2025."
The 2008 Olympics is helping to rectify the problem.
Mrs. Davies said, "The IOC is very pleased and recognizes that an enormous amount of work has been done."