Student ID: B1196966Name: LIU HUAN

Comparison of EIA between Beijing 2008 Olympic games and London 2012 Olympic games (pre-games report)

Introduction

“The International Olympic Committee (IOC) sees to it that the Olympic Games are held in conditions which demonstrate a responsible concern for environmental issues and encourages the Olympic Movement to demonstrate a responsible concern for environmental issues, takes measures to reflect such concern in its activities and educates all those connected with the Olympic Movement as to the importance of sustainable development. “

Rule 2. Paragraph 13, Olympic Charter

In 1994, the UNEP signed an agreement with the IOC, which the same year made the environment the third pillar of the Olympic movement, alongside sport and culture.

Afterward, UNEP has a longstanding collaboration with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in the greening of the Games that spans Athens 2004, Torino 2006, Beijing 2008 and Vancouver 2010.

In 2008, at the Beijing Games, in line with an agreement signed in 2005, UNEP remained engaged throughout and ensured that environmental non-governmental organizations were consulted by the organizers, as carrying out environmental reviews before and after the Games. The Games provided an added boost to air quality control efforts, raised public awareness of the problem, helped usher in tighter vehicle emission standards and increased the amount of green space in the city.

Meanwhile, UNEP has assisted the organizing committee of the London Olympics to raise awareness of the wide-ranging and integral sustainability measures at the Games, as part of wider efforts to highlight the importance of incorporating environmental concerns into major sporting events.

After the Beijing 2008 Olympics Games, UNEP published “Independent Environment Assessment: Beijing 2008 Olympic games” in February 2009, you can download the full report from UNEP’s official website for free.

Simultaneously, in April 2012, the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) published “Pre-Games Sustainability Report: Delivering change”, you can download the full report from UNEP’s official website too.

Comparison between the two reports

Both of the two countries set their environmental goals to show the world their commitment to sustainable development. According to their reports, I would like

to compare all the environmental aspects shown in the reports, and tell their different measures and implementations to pursue the same objective of ‘Green Olympics’.

Carbon management

Climate change is one of the main challenges currently facing the global community. And the challenge for both Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (BOCOG) and London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG)- as for organizers staging other mass events- was to measure, offset and curtail the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere directly or indirectly as a result of the Games.

The strategy towards achieving climate neutrality for the Games involves: Measuring the carbon footprint of the event; reducing energy demand; increasing energy efficiency; Expanding the use of renewable energy, and Compensating or offsetting “unavoidable” emissions.

The main focus of such a strategy should be to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the source. Offsetting is only a second best option. Carbon offsets are activities that compensate for carbon or greenhouse gas emissions in one area by reducing them in another, ensuring that there is no net increase in emissions.

Firstly, the London 2012 Olympic games are going to come out as most environment friendly Games, as per the pre-Games Sustainability Report given by Organizing committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) to the UNEP. London 2012 is the first Olympic and Paralympic Games to measure its carbon footprint over the entire project term, and also the first to commit to a Zero Waste to landfill target, reusing or recycling over 98 percent of waste in the demolition phase, and 99 percent in construction of the Olympic Park.

Meanwhile, the London 2012 Olympic Park has been created on once-contaminated industrial land, and provides both new wildlife habitats and significant flood alleviation. Moreover, the most sustainable and lightest Olympic and Paralympic stadium in history ahs been completed on time, with old gas pipes used in much of its construction. The LOCOG has pledged to deliver a public transport games, targeting one million extra walking and cycling journeys in London every day of the games.

It is also utilizing a new sustainability assessment guide developed by the Global Reporting Initiative, which was co-founded by UNEP.

"London's cleanup of an old industrial site, the restoration of flows and habitat on the River Lea, the greening of supply chains, the low energy linked with the design and construction of the stadium including utilizing old gas pipe's for the facility's Olympic ring; and the use of temporary structures to reduce emissions are among the actions that can assist in inspiring the organizers of the Rio 2016 games and beyond," UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said.

Except the ambitious slogans of Zero carbon and Zero waste in London 2012, Beijing 2008 Olympic games almost met many of its pledges on the environment, according to the assessment by the UNEP.

The report highlights several areas where the Beijing Olympic Organizers exceeded their commitments, including:

On emissions, the organizers had committed to implementing vehicle emission standards equal to Euro II for light vehicles - in fact, Beijing switched to Euro IV emission standards for cars in time for the Games.

The greening of Beijing and the Olympic venues, along with the creation of 720 green spaces in central Beijing. Since winning the bid to host the Olympic games, approximately 8,800 hectares of green space was developed using more than 30 million trees and rose bushes.

The number of blue-sky days (days with an Air Pollution Index of 100 or below) rose from less than 180 in 2000 to 274 days in 2008.

Waste classification and recycling goals were exceeded by 2 per cent and 5 per cent, respectively. Further, hazardous and medical waste treatment facilities were expanded and updated, all solid waste was sorted in venues, and the recycling rate in the Olympic venues was 23 per cent higher than the committed level.

Besides, Beijing Olympic Organizers take many practical implementations to manage the air quality, transport, energy, water, waste green venues and climate neutrality.

Conclusions:

Through contrast with the two reports between London and Beijing Olympic Games, obviously, we can find that London 2012 Olympic games make a higher objective and more ambitious goals to show the world their sustainable development such as Zero waste and Zero carbon. Meanwhile, the LOCOG really take many practical measures and implementation to achieve their goals, but as many commentaries criticized before, they would never guarantee and predict the size and scale of the Games. So they had precious little measurable carbon management strategy.

For Beijing 2008, in my opinion, it had been the most impressive and splendid event in human being’s history, however, their efforts toward environment and the city are still dispute and controversial, especially the lasted deadly storm occurred in Beijing on 21th July. It would be the biggest joke for a global city. And the corruption inside between Beijing 2008 also was disputed all the time.