Pollution Worries Linger For Beijing Ahead Of Games

BEIJING - July 28th, BBC

China has admitted it could introduce further emergency measures to cut air pollution during the Olympic Games. One expert said that could mean taking 90% of Beijing's private cars off the streets at particularly bad times.

Figures show pollution levels have been relatively high over recent days - on some days thick smog is severely reducing visibility. The BBC found one pollutant at the Olympic Village was three times higher than the recommended level on Monday. China has already introduced a series of measures to curb air pollution, including taking half the city's cars off the roads.

Polluting factories surrounding Beijing have also been told to close.
But an article in the state-run China Daily gave details of the further, stricter measures that could be introduced.

"More vehicles could go off the roads, and all construction sites and some more factories in Beijing and its neighbouring areas could be closed temporarily," a front-page article said. This was confirmed by Professor Zhu Tong, of Peking University, who advises the Beijing government about air pollution. He confirmed that 90% of the city's private cars could be taken off the roads under these stricter controls.

Any emergency measures would be introduced 48 hours in advance of very bad pollution, he said. "There is a chance... that we cannot meet the air quality standards so stricter measures are needed," said Prof Zhu. He maintained that the current measures had reduced pollution, but not by enough to guarantee good air quality every day.

China promised to clean up its air pollution for this summer's games, but figures show it still does not meet the toughest World Health Organization standards.

Small particles in the air - PM10 - are a particular worry. WHO guidelines say 50 micrograms per cubic metre is the standard to aim for, but Beijing rarely hits that target. At the Olympic Village on Monday, the BBC found the PM10 level was at least 145, while at the BBC office it was 134.

Separately on Monday, Greenpeace published its assessment of China's efforts to clean up Beijing for the Olympic Games. It says, that overall the attempt to get rid of pollution has created a "positive legacy" for the city and should be commended.

"Greenpeace found that Beijing achieved, and in some cases surpassed, original environmental goals," the report says. But it said in other areas, including air quality, Beijing had not met targets, and has had to bring in short-term measures. "Beijing could have adopted clean production measures more widely across the municipality to speed up the improvement of air quality," the report says.

26 innovations secure 'Green Olympics' achievement

BEIJING, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Beijing has applied a wide range ofgreen technologies and clean energy in building venues and facilities for the upcoming Olympic Games, according to a press briefing here on Sunday.

These advanced technologies, including water recycling, rainwater utilization, solar photovoltaic power generation, and reclaimed water source heat pumps, could help environmental protection while encouraging technology innovation, said Tan Xuxiang, deputy director of Beijing Municipal Planning Commission. Altogether 26 innovations were achieved during the Olympic preparation period, he added. To fulfill the bidding pledge of "Green Olympics," the Games' organizers used environment-friendly materials in building key venues such as the Olympic Green, the Olympic Village and the Olympic Forest Park, Tan said. A total of 31 competition venues and 45 training venues have been built for the impending Games. They are mainly located in five areas, namely the Olympic Green, the west community, the northern scenic spot area, the university area, and the east community.

Special attention was paid to the protection of cultural relics throughout the construction of all Olympic projects, Tan said, citing the protection and repair of ancient architecture in the Olympic Green zone, such as the Goddess Temple and the Dragon King Temple. Both the location of Olympic stadiums and the selection of competition routes have avoided important water resource conservation areas and natural reserves, he said. The official said that the concept of "Green Olympics" mainly has three implications -- a green environment, "green stadiums" with energy saving features, and the "green consciousness" for the public that endorses environmental protection and a healthy lifestyle. All efforts relating to the promotion of "Green Olympics" will leave a precious heritage for Beijing when the Games are over, he added.