Olympischen Spielen in Beijing “Grünes Licht” gegeben[en] 

The report , published by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) experts earlier this year, compares the green commitments made in Beijing's 2000 bid to the environmental measures taken and actual outcomes regarding air quality, transport, energy, ecosystems, water and waste, as well as the Olympic sites and venues.

The assessment concludes that "many of the promises were met, if not exceeded in some cases," and that "a lasting environmental legacy has been left in terms of new, energy-efficient and eco-friendly buildings and venues". Around 90% of the city's wastewater is now treated as a result of $17 billion [€12.6bn] of investment, and around 200 factories have switched to "new kinds of cleaner production," reads the report. 

The Beijing authorities also "stepped up an ambitious programme to reduce coal use and switch to cleaner energy," such as natural gas, geothermal energy, district heating networks and renewables, while "national standards for energy-saving buildings were implemented on a mandatory basis for new buildings".

Some 50,000 old taxis and 10,000 buses were scrapped and replaced with new ones, while new roads, railway and metro lines provided cleaner public transport. Furthermore, Beijing invested in a 4,000-strong natural gas-powered bus fleet, and will maintain subsidised fares for public transport throughout 2009. 

The city also planted some 30 million trees and rose bushes, and carried out other greening works along walls and in high-rise areas and car parks in an effort to green the city. As a result, "green coverage in the urban districts in Beijing increased from 36% in 2000 to 43% by the end of 2008," the report underlines.  

Addressing poor air quality was the most prominent environmental issues when Beijing began to plan for the Games. This "major worry for both the organisers and the athletes" was dealt with via a "mixture of forward-looking planning measures backed by short-term ones, such as controls on private and public vehicles," the report notes. 

"Whether these air quality gains can be maintained into the future remains a key challenge for the authorities," the experts note. In any case, they underline that the Beijing Games are a valuable case study that can help other cities in China to manage their air quality and learn from the implementation of permanent measures on transport and energy sectors, for example.