Gold, Silver, Bronze, and… Green?

By Amber Fagan

China launched an impressive plan to get the summer Olympics to Beijing this year. Reducing the overcrowding in the city, pollution, and environmental damage was a main concern for China. “One stadium was built to attract nesting birds and the aquatics center uses mostly recycled water.” However, if the smog masks worn by the US cycling team are any indication along with the omnipresent cloud of smog, a green Olympics this year may not be possible.

The improvements are short term and mostly cosmetic in nature. Sort of a “smog and mirrors” like one blogger put it. Construction around the city has been halted and cars have been ordered off the road to alleviate the air toxins. Trees have been planted and chemical and steel plants have been relocated outside the city.

Many experts are torn about the benefits of these improvements. Additional trees place a strain on Beijing’s water shortage and workers were laid off when the factories and plants were relocated. But as the website Wired commented, “Neighboring cities cheerfully rolled out the welcome mat for the capital’s filthiest factories, then spewed record amounts of coal smoke into the region’s skies to keep them humming.”

Over half of Beijing’s pollution comes from the surrounding rural areas. “Extensive use of coal, the city’s geographical location and a growing number of motor vehicles means the pace of improvement in Beijing’s air quality is slow,” concluded a report from the United Nations Environment Program.

Health concerns led Haile Gebrselassie, the men’s marathon world record-holder, who is asthmatic, to pull out of that event, although he still intended to compete in the 10,000 meters in Beijing. “The pollution in China is a threat to my health and it would be difficult for me to run 42 km in my current condition,” he announced. The US Olympic team announced it would bring 1,000 specially designed air pollution masks to Beijing. In their new attire the team looked like “a gathering of Darth Vaders”, according to one US athlete.

The sad part is that the Chinese have to breathe in those toxins every day. Research by Peking University environmental science professors calculated that particulate pollution caused 25,000 deaths in Beijing in 2002 alone. Breathing in this air is basically the equivalent of smoking about 30 cigarettes a day. And if we consider the green movement to include human rights, China again falls short of that very important goal.

Environmental changes have to run deep, and they have to be for more than show. Every country needs to understand its own contribution to pollution and environmental degradation. Sharing information and technology on renewable energy development may be a good starting point. With China’s supply and use of coal, this will help reduce pollution affecting the country. The biggest change will have to come in the form of a cultural shift that recognizes the need to make changes. As of now, we all fall a little short of getting that green medal.

Photo by Lodewijk van Doorn