UN:PollutionchallengeforOlympics
[2007-10-2614:41]
Airpollutionremainsasignificantchallengeforthe2008BeijingOlympics,accordingtoaUnitedNationsenvironmentalreportreleasedyesterday,butBeijingofficialsexpressedconfidenceinhandlingtheproblem.
TheindependentappraisalfollowsareportthismonthbytheBeijingOrganizingCommitteefortheGamesoftheXXIXOlympiad(BOCOG)thatabout120billionyuan($16billion)hadbeenspentonenvironment-relatedprojectsfrom1998to2006.
AchimSteiner,executivedirectoroftheUnitedNationsEnvironmentProgramme(UNEP),saidthatfundsforimprovingtheenvironment"appeartohavebeenwellspent".
Themoneywillbeevenmorewellspentifthemeasuresundertakenwereadoptedacrossthecountryasa"realandlastingnationwidelegacy",hesaid.
TheUNEP'sreportpraisedthecityforwastemanagement,cleanertransportsystems,watertreatmentcapabilitiesandcreatingurbangreenbeltsincludingthe580-hectareOlympicForestPark.
However,concernsremainoverairpollution,mostofwhichis"exacerbated"bythecity'sgeographicallocation.Thereportsaidthatsurroundingmountainrangesblockaircirculationandpreventthedispersionofpollutants.
Thelevelsofsmallparticlesintheatmosphere,whicharehazardoustohealth,haveattimesexceededWorldHealthOrganizationairqualityguidelines.
Theexcessiveuseofcoalandarisingnumberofnewvehicleshaveslowedthepaceofairqualityimprovement,andthegoalcannotbeachievedoverashortperiod,theUNEPsaid.
ButKhalidMalik,theUNrepresentativeinBeijing,said:"YouhavetobearinmindthisisthefirsttimetheOlympicsisbeingheldinadevelopingcountry".
BeijinghascommittedtoacleanerGamesandlong-termenvironmentalqualitywithmajorpollutingfactoriesinthecapitalrelocatedorrefitted,amongothermeasures.
"Beijinghasacceleratedthebuildingofurbaninfrastructuresuitableforsustainabledevelopment,"saidYuXiaoxuan,deputydirectorofBOCOG'sconstructionandenvironmentdepartment.
YusaidairqualitywillmeetGamesstandards.
ThereportyesterdaypraisedBOCOGforacceleratingthephasingoutofozone-depletingchemicalsandpromotingenergyefficiencyandgreenenergyappliancesinbuildingsandsportsvenues.
OfficialsfromtheInternationalOlympicCommitteearealsoconfidentthatairpollutioncanbeadequatelyaddressed.
"TheIOCwaswellawareoftheairpollutionissueasearlyassevenyearsagowhenBeijingwasbiddingfortheGames.Wecanonlysaythatsixyearslater,BOCOGhasliveduptotheircommitments,"saidHeinVerbruggen,chairmanoftheIOCCoordinationCommissionforthe2008Games,whichconcludedathree-dayinspectionofBeijing'spreparationsyesterday.
(英语点津Celene编辑)
