Significant strides are being made to 'green' the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The report, Beijing 2008 Olympic Games: An Environmental Review, says that environmental measures are being introduced covering waste management, cleaner transport systems and water treatment, as well as new urban green belts including a 580-hectare Olympic Forest Park.

Beijing 2008 Olympic Games: An Environmental Review aims to analyze the projects implemented by the city of Beijing to incorporate environmental sustainability into the 2008 Olympic Games and fulfil the environmental commitments made during the candidature phase. The study was conducted between February and July 2007, and the analysis includes data and information collected in Beijing between March and May 2007.

The report considers the programmes and projects developed by the Beijing 2008 Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) and the initiatives of relevant Beijing Municipal Government Departments, Bureaus, Agencies and Commissions within the boundaries of the municipal territory. Although aware that environmental issues are inextricably bound with social and economic issues, as well as human rights concerns, in looking at the preparations for the Games this report does not consider the social or economic aspects of the many initiatives examined, but focuses strictly on environmental consequences and implications. Nor, due to logistical constraints, does the report analyze the initiatives undertaken in the cities of Hong Kong, where the equestrian event will take place, Qingdao, host of the sailing competition, and Tianjin, Shanghai, Shenyang and Qinhuangdao, which will host some events of the football preliminaries.

The study is based on data and information officially released by the Chinese authorities and BOCOG, substantiated by field research conducted by the principal author. It takes into account visits to Beijing and meetings with Chinese officials undertaken by the UNEP Director of Communications and Public Information and UNEP’s Chief of Outreach, responsible for coordinating UNEP’s sport and environment programme. UNEP technical staff from the Division of Early Warning and Assessment provided additional informationand comments.

The documents analyzed for the report include official reports released by BOCOG from 2003 to the present, including the most recent environmental technical report; ‘Beijing 2008: Environmental Protection, Innovation and Improvement’, reports issued by environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs)on Chinese environmental issues, and the official presentation made by the Government during meetings with UNEP.

The principal author spent a total of four weeks conducting interviews and field inspections during two separate visits to Beijing in March and April 2007. The visits included surveys of environmental facilities and building sites, and meetings with BOCOG, the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), the Beijing Municipal Government, environmental NGOs and communities in the urban area surrounding Beijing. Facilities inspected included Olympic venue construction sites, wastewater treatment plants, landfills, medical waste processing facilities, factories and energy production plants. The author gained additional information through in-depth and continuous review of media coverage of the Games.

The Construction and Environment Department of BOCOG was the main point of contact during UNEP’s visits, with BOCOG facilitating meetings with other involved parties. At municipal level, the principal author met with representatives from the:

    * Beijing 2008 Project Construction Headquarters Office,
    * Beijing Water Authority,
    * Beijing Municipal Bureau of State Land and Resources,
    * Beijing Municipal Bureau of Industrial Development,
    * Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform,
    * Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau,
    * Beijing Municipal Committee of Transport,
    * Beijing Municipal Administration Commission,
    * Beijing Gardening and Greening Bureau,
    * Beijing Gas Group,
    * Beijing Municipal Administration and Law Enforcement Bureau,
    * Olympic Science and Technique Commission,
    * Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture Heritage.

A significant contribution was made by WWF International and WWF China, Greenpeace China, Conservation International China, Global Village Beijing, and IUCN headquarters and the IUCN China office, who all gave their perspectives on the sustainability of the Beijing Games. As well as providing information, these organizations also supported the project by reviewing the draft report.

Further review was provided by UNEP staff members, who also contributed to the report by supporting the development of its conclusions and recommendations. In the spirit of transparency, a draft of the report was shared with the IOC and BOCOG, as well as the NGO partners listed above, but it is important to note, however, that at no time did any organization or individual attempt to influence the review beyond pointing out errors of fact. It should also be noted that this is the first time that the IOC has endorsed an independent environmental review of an Olympic Games.

Notwithstanding the near total reliance on information provided by the Chinese authorities, UNEP is confident that the study has been carried out with the most accurate, impartial and scientific approach possible, and paints an independent picture of Beijing’s efforts to incorporate the principles of environmental sustainability into the 2008 Olympic Games.

Read Beijing 2008 Olympic Games: An Environmental Review Online

Project Coordination
UNEP Division of Communications and Public Information
Eric Falt, Director
Theodore Oben, Chief, Outreach Unit
Research and principal author
UNEP Division of Communications and Public Information
Paolo Revellino, Consultant
Editing and additional material
UNEP Division of Communications and Public Information
David Simpson, Editor/Speechwriter
Layout and design
UNEP Division of Communications and Public Information
Amina Darani and Enid Ngaira, Graphic Design
Unless otherwise credited, all the photographs were taken by the author
during two field visits to Beijing in March and April 2007.

Contributors:
UNEP Division of Regional Cooperation
Zhijia Wang, Deputy Director
UNEP Regional Office for Asia and Pacific
Surendra Shrestha, Director
Mahesh Pradhan, Regional Environmental Affairs Officer
Shaofeng Hu, Programme Officer, OzonAction Branch
UNEP Regional Resource Centre for Asia Pacific (RRC.AP)
Purna C. Lall Rajbhandari
UNEP Division of Technology, Industry and Economics
Rajendra M. Shende, Head, OzonAction Branch
UNEP Division of Early Warning and Assessment
Peter Gilruth, Director
Jinhua Zhang, Programme Officer
UNEP Division of Communications and Public Information
Bianca Lichtenberg, Caitlin Sanford, Interns, Yu Mingyan, Volunteer
United Nations in China
Khalid Malik, UN Resident Coordinator in China
Steven Sabey, UN Coordination Policy Advisor, Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in China

Download Beijing 2008 Olympic Games: An Environmental Review

PDF format, 11.8MB, 163Pages.

Visit Beijing 2008 Olympic Games: An Environmental Review Website

Foreword:

Achim Steiner, United Nations Under-Secretary-General, Executive Director, UNEP

When the International Olympic Committee awarded the XXIX Olympic Games and the XIII Paralympic Games to Beijing in 2001, one of the criteria on which it judged all the candidate cities was their commitment to staging an environmentally conscious Olympics.

Since the mid-1990s, environmental considerations have been increasingly prominent in Olympic planning, with each Games expected to leave a sustainable legacy. There have been notable landmarks. Lillehammer in 1994, Sydney in 2000 and, especially, Torino in 2006 all set new benchmarks for environmental awareness and sensitivity.

Beijing's bid was notable for the broad reach of its environmental commitments, which ranged far beyond the immediate concerns of planning for the Games to an ambitious programme for greening and cleaning China's capital. As the IOC Evaluation Commission noted in 2001, the measures that Beijing had proposed would leave "a major environmental legacy for Beijing from the Olympic Games."

There is no doubt about the importance—indeed urgency—of these measures. China faces immense challenges in trying to protect its ecosystems and environment in the face of rapid economic expansion. These issues are prominent in Beijing's bid commitments.

In 2005, UNEP signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (BOCOG) to help them review their preparations related to environmental sustainability. Then, in 2007, IOC President Jacques Rogge further agreed that UNEP should conduct a substantive evaluation of Beijing's performance on sustainability issues.

UNEP's concerns were two-fold. First, and most obvious, was to assess Beijing's performance against its commitments, and to provide comments where necessary. Secondly, in line with our mandate to provide inspiration and leadership in caring for the environment, we wanted to ensure that a wider public was able to learn from Beijing's challenges and achievements.

I am pleased to note that UNEP has received excellent cooperation throughout from the IOC, BOCOG and the local and national authorities. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Chinese businessman and photographer Luo Hong for the financial support which made this review possible.

Those not familiar with the organization of an Olympic Games will recognize that it involves not just the organizing committee but also the local and national authorities. This report therefore examines the collective performance of BOCOG, the city of Beijing and other actors on the national scene in relation to Beijing's bid commitments. In doing so we looked at official documentation, conducted field visits, and consulted with local and international non-governmental organizations active in China.

What we discovered—and what this report shows—is that the award of the Games has provided a formidable impetus to cleaning up Beijing and improving its environment. While the city and the country have many challenges remaining, I think we can all genuinely take heart from the commitment that has been applied.

Where we have comments or reservations, they have been stated clearly. But there is no doubt that, with less than one year to go before the 2008 Olympics, Beijing is on track to deliver on its environmental promises.

About UNEP:

UNEP, established in 1972, is the voice for the environment within the United Nations system. UNEP acts as a catalyst, advocate, educator and facilitator to promote the wise use and sustainable development of the global environment. To accomplish this, UNEP works with a wide range of partners, including United Nations entities, international organizations, national governments, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and civil society.

UNEP work encompasses:

    * Assessing global, regional and national environmental conditions and trends
    * Developing international and national environmental instruments
    * Strengthening institutions for the wise management of the environment
    * Facilitating the transfer of knowledge and technology for sustainable development
    * Encouraging new partnerships and mind-sets within civil society and theprivate sector.

Environment and the Olympic Games:

Since 1994, organizing committees of the Olympic Games have progressively increased their focus on environmental and sustainable development issues in preparing for and staging Olympic Games. All cities bidding to host the Games are required to have a comprehensive environmental programme which is followed through during the preparatory phase of the Games. Each Games is expected to leave a sustainable legacy and to use the opportunity of the Games to promote environmental awareness, policies and practices.

UNEP and the Beijing Olympic Committee of the Olympic Games (BOCOG) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in November 2005 aimed a making the 2008 Olympic Games environmentally-friendly. Within the context of the MoU, UNEP is helping BOCOG to implement its environmental plans and projects during the preparations for the Games, including undertaking this independent review of its environmental commitments and actions. UNEP is also helping to improve communications between environmental NGOs and BOCOG, and will work with BOCOG to raise media awareness and understanding of the environmental achievements and challenges related to the Beijing 2008 Games.

Looking to the future, UNEP and the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games Organizing Committee (VANOC) are discussing the development of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU is expected to be signed before the end of 2007. VANOC has already launched its first sustainability report, which looks at VANOC's six performance objectives: Accountability; Sport for Sustainable Living; Environmental Stewardship and Impact Reduction; Social Inclusion and Responsibility; Aboriginal Participation and Collaboration; Economic Benefits.

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