Independent Environmental Assessment: Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

August 08 2009

Independent Environmental Assessment: Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, download free eBook, pdf format. The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games were widely acclaimed as one of the most spectacular sporting events ever held, not least as a result of the sumptuous and dazzling opening ceremony and the high standards of competition from athletics and swimming to horse-jumping and yachting.

But what of the environment which along with sport and culture is the third pillar of Olympism? How did these Olympic and Paralympic Games rate in terms of sustainability and their contribution to a green legacy for Beijing, China and beyond?

This report discusses the environmental measures taken by the organizers and assesses their effectiveness and lessons learnt, all of which will be useful for those planning future Olympic and other sporting events. It compares the commitments made in Beijing’s 2000 bid to the actual outcomes and sets these within the challenges of a rapidly emerging economy that in recent years has seen double digit growth.

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The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games were widely acclaimed as one of the most spectacular sporting events ever held, not least as a result of the sumptuous and dazzling opening ceremony and the high standards of competition from athletics and swimming to horse-jumping and yachting.

But what of the environment which along with sport and culture is the third pillar of Olympism? How did
these Olympic and Paralympic Games rate in terms of sustainability and their contribution to a green legacy for Beijing, China and beyond?

The report, compiled by independent United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP )experts in consultation with non-governmental organizations, the Beijing Municipal Government, the Beijing Environment Protection Bureau and the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee, concludes that many of the promises were met, if not exceeded in some cases.

In addition, a lasting environmental legacy has been left in terms of new, energy efficient and eco-friendly buildings and venues. Some 90 per cent of the city’s wastewater is now treated as a result of a $17 billion investment. Some 200 factories have switched to new kinds of cleaner production.

New roads, railway and metro lines have been built in an effort to encourage cleaner public transport systems. Fifty thousand old taxis and 10,000 buses have been scrapped and replaced with new ones.

The city invested in a 4,000-strong fleet of buses powered by natural gas – among the largest in the world. And 30 million trees and rose bushes were planted in an effort to green the city, among many other initiatives.

Air quality, a major worry for both the organizers and the athletes at the time, was dealt with via a mixture of forward-looking planning measures backed by short-term ones such as controls on private and public vehicles.

Whether these air quality gains can be maintained into the future remains a key challenge for the authorities. Certainly one innovative measure introduced for the 2008 Games—subsidized fares for public transport—is being maintained through 2009.

I believe this assessment will also be essential reading for the International Olympic Committee and the organizers of Vancouver, London and Sochi as they strive to realize their Olympic goals and set the environmental record-breaking bar ever higher.

Download Independent Environmental Assessment: Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

PDF format, 7MB, 139Pages.

Published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in February 2009
© 2009 UNEP

"Uniting sport, culture and the environment, the Olympic Games ignite passion and emotion like no other major event on Earth."

CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1: THE BEIJING 2008 GAMES 12
1.1 INTRODUCTION 13
1.2 THE BID COMMITMENTS 13
1.3 COMPELLING CASE FOR SUSTAINABLE GAMES 18
CHAPTER 2: AIR QUALITY 25
2.1 CHINA’S AIR QUALITY STANDARDS 26
2.2 BEIJING POLLUTION CONTROL MEASURES 27
2.3 IMPACT ON BEIJING’S AIR QUALITY 29
2.4 ANNUAL TRENDS IN AIR QUALITY 29
2.5 AIR QUALITY IN THE PERIOD LEADING TO AND JUST AFTER THE GAMES 30
2.6 ATTRIBUTING CHANGES TO EMISSION CONTROLS 32
2.7 COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 34
2.8 APPENDIX 37
CHAPTER 3: TRANSPORT 41
3.1 VEHICLE EMISSION CONTROL STRATEGIES 42
3.2 PUBLIC TRANSPORT 43
3.3 TRANSPORT MEASURES DURING THE GAMES 44
3.4 COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 45
CHAPTER 4: ENERGY 51
4.1 CHANGES IN ENERGY STRUCTURE 52
4.2 IMPROVED ENERGY EFFICIENCY 53
4.3 RENEWABLE ENERGY 53
4.4 COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 55
CHAPTER 5: GREEN COVERAGE AND PROTECTED AREAS 59
5.1 URBAN AREAS 60
5.2 MOUNTAIN AREAS 64
5.3 ‘FIVE RIVERS AND TEN ROADS’ PROJECT (THE PLAIN AREA) 64
5.4 PROTECTED AREAS 66
5.5 COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 6666
CHAPTER 6: WATER 70
6.1 WATER SOURCES 72
6.2 SOURCE WATER PROTECTION 73
6.3 WATER TREATMENT AND DISTRIBUTION 74
6.4 WATER CONSERVATION, RECYCLING AND REUSE 76
6.5 SURFACE WATER QUALITY 76
6.6 WATER AT OLYMPIC VENUES 76
6.7 FULFILMENT OF OLYMPIC BID COMMITMENTS 77
6.8 COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 77
CHAPTER 7: SOLID WASTE 81
7.1 DOMESTIC SOLID WASTE 82
7.2 MEDICAL AND RADIOACTIVE HAZARDOUS WASTE 83
7.3 WASTE IN OLYMPIC VENUES 83
7.4 COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 83
CHAPTER 8: OLYMPIC SITES AND VENUES 88
8.1 VENUE PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT 90
8.2 OLYMPIC VENUES: ENERGY 90
8.3 OLYMPIC VENUES: WATER 94
8.4 OLYMPIC VENUES: ECO-FRIENDLY MATERIALS 95
8.5 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AT BUILDING SITES 96
8.6 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT DURING THE GAMES 96
8.7 COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 97
CHAPTER 9: CLIMATE NEUTRALITY 103
9.1 CLIMATE NEUTRALITY AND SPORT 104
9.2 BEIJING 2008 GAMES CARBON FOOTPRINT 105
9.3 CARBON FOOTPRINT REDUCTION MEASURES 106
9.4 COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 107
CHAPTER 10: ROLE OF GAMES PARTNERS 111
10.1 ROLE OF SPONSORS 112
10.2 SPONSOR SELECTION PROCESS 112
10.3 SPONSOR INITIATIVES AND CAMPAIGNS 112
10.4 ROLE OF SUPPLIERS AND CONTRACTORS 113
10.5 COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 114
CHAPTER 11: NGO PERSPECTIVE 118
11.1 NGO INVOLVEMENT 121
11.2 NGO FEEDBACK 122
11.3 COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 123
CHAPTER 12: COMMUNICATION AND EDUCATION 126
12.1 COMMUNICATION CAMPAIGNS 128
12.2 EDUCATION 129
12.3 COMMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 130
BIBLIOGRAPHY 132
INDEX 134