UNEP Hopes for Environmental Legacy from Olympics

Achim Steiner, executive director of UNEP, is impressed China has achieved so much in such a short space of time. (ATR)(ATR) Despite massive efforts to green the Beijing Olympics, the executive director of the United Nations Environment Program says the ultimate success of the Games can only be judged on meeting legacy objectives in the years ahead.

"I have no hesitation in saying that commitments made seven years ago have in large part been fulfilled," Achim Steiner tells a press conference Saturday.

Applauding the Chinese government's $17 billion green drive ahead of the Games, he says "but ultimately we have to wait until the Games are over and visitors have left Beijing".

In a few months time, UNEP will deliver a more accurate assessment of Beijing's environmental achievements in a Post-Games Environmental Report.

Announcing Chinese basketball great Yao Ming as UNEP's first ever "Environmental Champion", Steiner notes that China's accomplishments are more impressive against the backdrop of an economy growing at a staggering 10-12 percent per annum.

"This city can without doubt claim to be a better city to live in as a result of hosting the Games," he told reporters.

He praises Beijing's environmental initiatives including the expansion of the public transport network with three new subway lines and the introduction of some 3,800 compressed natural gas buses - one of the largest fleets of any city in the world. Yao Ming, UNEP's first ever "Environmental Champion" says he will work with governments, the private sector and public to promote environmental initiatives. (Getty Images)

New vehicle emission standards in China now meet the most stringent equivalent European standards and are higher than in the U.S., he claims. Steiner also spoke about the replacement of 50,000 old taxis and the 200km of new rail lines with a daily capacity of close to four million people.

"This is a legacy for the mobility of Beijing," he says, also noting the 600-plus hectares of newly forested areas since the city was awarded the Games.

The innovation shown in environmental sustainability concepts for the Olympic venues also drew praise -- 20 percent of their energy comes from clean wind sources, solar power features prominently in the Olympic Village, and the Bird's Nest stadium has an advanced rainwater recycling system.

His comments came after an assessment of the city's environmental achievements this week. He inspected the city's public transport system and the 27 hi-tech monitoring stations designed to analyze air pollutants and forecast weather conditions for the Games.

Steiner admits that the city's pollution levels have been increasing in the past few days but says they are stabilizing and maintains there is no current threat to athletes' health.

The IOC will determine whether any sports event is postponed due to poor air quality during the Games, based on daily meteorological reports.

"I think any athlete should not be blamed for being concerned about these issues," he adds. An aerial view of the Beijing Olympic forest in August. (Getty Images)

Steiner insists the Olympic Games is spurring host cities to do more to tackle environmental problems and raise the bar in sustainability initiatives.

He says it's too early to say what lessons London, the 2012 Olympics host, could learn from Beijing.

"London can be a platform for cutting edge renewable energy, energy efficiency and mobility," he says.

"London is also a city struggling with transport and mobility," Steiner says, adding that the British capital can build on the success of its congestion charge experience.

Steiner, who also serves as the UN's Under-Secretary General, attended the opening ceremony Friday after taking part in the Olympic torch relay earlier this week. Steiner also met with China's Environment Minister Zhou Shengxian and Wan Gang, the Minister for Science and Technology.

Written by Mark Bisson in Beijing

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