The Beijing Olympics: A Green Opportunity

In a surprising turn of events the Beijing Olympics is focusing attention not on the domestic human rights situation within China–as was expected for years building up to it, but rather China’s inadequate environmental regulations and the pollutions that plague its cities.

For years we were told these Games would shed light on the atrocious human rights practices of the Chinese Government; jailing and killing its own citizens for political reasons, censorship and supporting tyrannical dictatorships overseas with money and weapons to further their own economic interests.  These practices are rightly condemned—they are anathema to the freedoms that all human beings have a right to enjoy.  Indeed, these issues have been raised during the course of the Games by athletes, commentators and activists and even a Presidential visitor or two, yet the volume of complaints has not reached expectations.   

Instead much media attention has turned to the fact that Beijing’s “Green Games” continue to be literally shrouded in smog. This is what the “factory of the world” looks like.  We should not be so surprised.

Beijing’s failure to live up to their promise of producing an environmentally-friendly games is plain to see for all visitors to that city. Or hard to see—to be more accurate.  Visibility in the Olympic city is sometimes reduced to less than half a mile, and the air quality is consistently and dangerously well below internationally accepted health standards.  Drastic measures have been introduced by the Chinese government to reduce air pollution during the games: pulling cars off the road, shuttering factories and temporarily closing down power plants.  But, judging from the grey skies, these last-minute measures appear to have been too little too late.  And of course, these emergency measures are aimed at improving the air for Beijing’s visiting overseas athletes and tourists – but does nothing to alleviate the growing concerns of the city’s permanent population the days and years after the Olympics end.   

And smog is far from the only environmental concern in Beijing these days.  Relentless urban sprawl, construction and a booming population have meant that water supplies are being squeezed, surrounding arable land is being developed instead of kept for agriculture and new carbon-belching coal fired power plants need to be built to power the city.

Indeed, diminishing drinkable water supplies, lack of clean energy, noise and air pollution are issues that many industrialized and developing countries are grappling with. 

Beijing’s failure is an environmentalist opportunity, not just to draw attention to the yawning gap between the Chinese planners’ rhetoric and the reality, but also to the broader environmental and health concerns brought on by climate change and fast-paced, poorly-regulated economic growth. 

The Beijing Olympics signal a new era.  Not of universal human rights, or even of China’s coming out party as a global superpower. Without intent it is going to live up to being the “Green Olympics” for it heralds the dawn of a new era in which the effects of a fossil fuels-based civilization are inescapable, and the need to do something about it is as apparent and obvious as the air we breathe. 

Comments

[david]

To add 'fire'(Emission free) to Jonathan Kolieb's very clear and succinct article is that two thirds of the planet is now dependent on China being the behemoth it has become. While the air may be foul over Beijing today, it will be on our doorstep tomorrow unless the Planet as ONE can successfully balance the needs of and for economic growth,whilst continuing third world development AND maintaining the fragile ecosystem we all share. Only then, the most basic human right, to breathe freely in a just and free society will Planet Earth and all its inhabitants have won its first Gold Medal.