The usinfo.state.gov Web site reports that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is leading a U.S. multi-agency team to help Beijing keep its promise to the International Olympic Committee to achieve World Health Organization (WHO) standards for urban air quality by 2008, in time for the Beijing Summer Olympic Games.
Beijing hopes to meet its goal by major reductions in coal use, tougher fuel-quality and emissions standards, and further development of a protective greenbelt that separate north China from desert winds that fill the city air with silt.
Lee Gebert, China desk officer in DOE’s Office of International Science and Technology Cooperation said, “the Chinese government intends to invest $17 billion to $23 billion for the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Beijing wanted to improve its image and upgrade its infrastructure and they’re using the Olympics as a catalyst to do this”.
The U.S.-China joint Working Group (JWG) identified 10 areas for cooperation – natural-gas technology, combined cooling, heating and power, clean coal, hydrogen and fuel-cell vehicle demonstration, environmentally friendly buildings, urban transportation, air quality, water quality, solar photovoltaics, and a Beijing-Chicago Friendship Cities Initiative to promote local environmental activities.
The JWG has met three times and established 10 teams, one to work in each area of cooperation.
Gebert said a Hydrogen Park in the Olympic Village will demonstrate hydrogen technology by operating five buses using a mix of hydrogen and natural gas.
General Motors has agreed to donate a zero-emissions electric bus to use during the Olympics.
According to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, the city’s commitment to reaching WHO urban air standards by 2008 is to reduce coal consumption in the city to 15 million metric tons yearly, in contrast to an unconstrained consumption forecast of 33.6 million metric tons.
City officials plan to achieve this goal by substituting natural gas, electricity and liquid petroleum gas for coal as a household heating and cooking fuel. Other plans call for shutting down coking ovens in bid industrial plants and substituting natural gas for coal in some electricity generation.
Gebert said the aggressive program of improvements to air and water quality, transportation, energy production and more will probably be complete before the Olympics, by 2007.
