Wind turbines, solar panels, electric coaches … China wants to show its ecological goodwill on the occasion of the Olympic Games. But one month before the start of the tests, all means are good to make people forget that the country is the world’s leading emitter of greenhouse gases.
On paper, China is committed to delivering a more environmentally friendly Winter Olympics than these big sports masses usually are. But despite the promises of the organizers, the Olympic fortnight (from February 4 to 20) in the Chinese capital will have a significant ecological cost.
The use of water, “an aberration”
Artificial snow is used as a back-up for the Olympic Games since those of Lake Placid, in the United States, in 1980, and those of 2022 will be totally dependent on it. Beijing is a territory known for its winter drought, so to remedy a climate that presumably will not fit the international sport agenda, around 185 million liters of water will be used to cover the tracks with artificial snow.
“Organizing the Olympics in this region is an aberration, it is irresponsible”, summarizes the geographer Carmen de Jong, of the University of Strasbourg, while Beijing already has only 300 cubic meters of water per year and per capita, less than a third of the supply recommended by UN standards . The organizers assure that the water used will not contain chemicals and will naturally penetrate the soil when it melts.
Above all, in the longer term, the country’s authorities want to encourage 300 million Chinese to take up winter sports, which was one of Beijing’s bidding arguments to host the 2022 edition of the Olympic Games: these activities risk to put even more pressure on the water resources of the capital and its surroundings.
Where the electricity comes from: forgetting regarding coal
The energy consumed during the events will be entirely of renewable origin, promise the organizers. And Beijing is thinking big: the wind turbines installed in Zhangjiakou, the city that co-organizes the Olympic Games, more than 180 kilometers northwest of the capital, can produce 14 million kilowatts. Approximately the same power as a small state like Singapore.
Added to this are the solar panels that cover the surrounding mountains, and represent an additional capacity of 7 million kilowatts. These various installations are linked to a distribution center, to which the Olympic venues will be connected. This allows China to announce that the power for the Games will only be of renewable origin. While forgetting that at the national level, the country still depends two thirds on coal for its electricity production.
Air pollution: Beijing breathes better, the rest of the country does not
In terms of the sky, it was also necessary to make clear space before the arrival of the international sports delegations. To ensure breathable air, coal stoves have been replaced with electric or gas heating systems in 25 million homes in Beijing and surrounding areas. Steelworks in the region were ordered to halve their production last August and tens of thousands of factories had to pay fines for exceeding emission limits. As a result, the air quality has definitely improved in Beijing. The city recorded just ten days of high air pollution in 2020, up from 43 in 2015, according to the Environment Ministry.
But the rest of the country continues to suffocate under fine particles, which regularly exceed the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO). “The lesson of the Olympic Games [d’été] of 2008, is that moving polluting industries outside of Beijing is not enough to guarantee a lasting improvement in air quality ”, Greenpeace commented in 2015.
Transport: the impact of domestic flights
As the mountains hosting the sporting events are distant from the capital, Beijing has built a high-speed train line to reach the ski slopes and other Olympic venues. Hundreds of coaches will also make the connection to transport athletes and accompanying staff. According to Chinese organizers, 85% of the vehicles used for these Olympics will run on electricity or hydrogen.
Nevertheless, the ecological cost of air transport will be greatly reduced compared to previous Olympic Games. Covid requires, only spectators residing in China will be able to attend the Games. Which still potentially makes 1.4 billion potential travelers.
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