ID :
14176
Tue, 07/29/2008 - 11:09
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/14176
The shortlink copeid
Beijing draws up 'emergency' Olympic air pollution plan+
BEIJING, July 29 Kyodo - Beijing has drawn up a list of ''emergency'' measures to cut air pollution during the Olympics, state-run media reported Monday, as the city was againenveloped in a haze of smog.
The China Daily quoted a senior engineer in the city's environmental protection bureau, Li Xin, as saying that the Chinese capital is likely to implement an emergency plan if air quality deteriorates during the Games, which start Aug. 8.
''We will implement an emergency plan 48 hours in advance if the air quality deteriorates during the Aug. 8-24 Games,'' Li was quoted as saying.
Li did not give details of the plan, but the newspaper said it could mean even more cars banned from the roads, more factories closed and more construction work halted during the Olympics.
The environmental pressure group Greenpeace said Monday that Beijing's poor air quality should be of real concern to athletes, particularly those taking part in outdoor endurance events.
Greenpeace said in a report on Beijing's environmental preparations for the Games that significant progress has been made in many areas such as improving public transport and enforcing tougher vehicle emissions standards, but air pollution is still a serious problem.
''Beijing's air quality is not up to what the world would expect of an Olympic host city. National Olympic committees and athletes have reason to be concerned about the situation,'' Lo Sze Ping, director of Greenpeace in China, told reporters.
''Endurance athletes will be inhaling about 150 liters of air a minute. That's about 10 times the normal level of breathing,'' Lo said.
Beijing municipal government officials said last week that they are confident that a range of long- and short-term measures will ensure good air quality during the Games, which start Aug. 8.
These include banning half the cars from the road, halting most construction work and closing some factories for the duration of the Olympics.
But the China Daily said Monday that there have been no ''blue sky days'' for the past four days, raising ''fresh concerns'' over whether air quality targets can be met.
The International Olympic Committee has already ruled that the dates of some endurance events, such as the marathon, will be changed if tests show the smog on any given day is particularly poor.
The publication of the Greenpeace report Monday came as the Chinese capital was once again covered in a brown haze of pollution.
Lo said that if Beijing used stricter World Health Organization criteria for measuring air pollution, only two days this month could be considered to have good air quality.
''I think the hard lesson that should be learned is that you need to throw away the model of 'develop first, clean up later,''' Lo said.
''In the long term, it is cheaper to use cleaner technologies, to limit the use of cars and to introduce sustainable forms of development,'' he added.
The marathon world record holder Haile Gebrselassie has already pulled out of the event at the Beijing Games because of concerns over air pollution. Also, Australia's track and field team will not march in the Olympic Games opening ceremony over fears that the city's pollution will harm the athletes' health and performance.
Among the measures taken by Beijing praised by Greenpeace include the introduction of a fleet of 3,000 low-emission public buses and strict emission controls for new cars licensed in the capital.
The China Daily quoted a senior engineer in the city's environmental protection bureau, Li Xin, as saying that the Chinese capital is likely to implement an emergency plan if air quality deteriorates during the Games, which start Aug. 8.
''We will implement an emergency plan 48 hours in advance if the air quality deteriorates during the Aug. 8-24 Games,'' Li was quoted as saying.
Li did not give details of the plan, but the newspaper said it could mean even more cars banned from the roads, more factories closed and more construction work halted during the Olympics.
The environmental pressure group Greenpeace said Monday that Beijing's poor air quality should be of real concern to athletes, particularly those taking part in outdoor endurance events.
Greenpeace said in a report on Beijing's environmental preparations for the Games that significant progress has been made in many areas such as improving public transport and enforcing tougher vehicle emissions standards, but air pollution is still a serious problem.
''Beijing's air quality is not up to what the world would expect of an Olympic host city. National Olympic committees and athletes have reason to be concerned about the situation,'' Lo Sze Ping, director of Greenpeace in China, told reporters.
''Endurance athletes will be inhaling about 150 liters of air a minute. That's about 10 times the normal level of breathing,'' Lo said.
Beijing municipal government officials said last week that they are confident that a range of long- and short-term measures will ensure good air quality during the Games, which start Aug. 8.
These include banning half the cars from the road, halting most construction work and closing some factories for the duration of the Olympics.
But the China Daily said Monday that there have been no ''blue sky days'' for the past four days, raising ''fresh concerns'' over whether air quality targets can be met.
The International Olympic Committee has already ruled that the dates of some endurance events, such as the marathon, will be changed if tests show the smog on any given day is particularly poor.
The publication of the Greenpeace report Monday came as the Chinese capital was once again covered in a brown haze of pollution.
Lo said that if Beijing used stricter World Health Organization criteria for measuring air pollution, only two days this month could be considered to have good air quality.
''I think the hard lesson that should be learned is that you need to throw away the model of 'develop first, clean up later,''' Lo said.
''In the long term, it is cheaper to use cleaner technologies, to limit the use of cars and to introduce sustainable forms of development,'' he added.
The marathon world record holder Haile Gebrselassie has already pulled out of the event at the Beijing Games because of concerns over air pollution. Also, Australia's track and field team will not march in the Olympic Games opening ceremony over fears that the city's pollution will harm the athletes' health and performance.
Among the measures taken by Beijing praised by Greenpeace include the introduction of a fleet of 3,000 low-emission public buses and strict emission controls for new cars licensed in the capital.
