Racing Time

For Beijing, and for China, the 2008 Olympics is a coming-out party. It is an opportunity to move from a big country to a powerful country, from an ancient repressive regime to a youthful capitalist nation. More importantly, it’s an opportunity to transform from an international participant to an international player. It was this shift, this move into world power status, that made the difference between losing the 1993 Olympic bid and winning the 2001 Olympic bid. Concern remains, however, about China’s ability to balance lofty plans for economic growth with real-time environmental issues that threaten to shut down the Olympics.

“The issue is not just Beijing, but all of China is an environmental basket case right now,” says Dr. Eric Orts, Guardsmark Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. “The country has valued growth over everything else for so long now, as it transitions into a capitalist economy, and that means allowing other regulations, including environmental concerns, to slide.”

Beijing is home to 15.2 million people and over 3 million registered cars. It has consistently been ranked as one of the worst cities in the world for clean air. Beijing’s Air Pollution Index (API) has been over 100 for an average of six days each August for the past five years (the API calculates the levels of six pollutants in the air: Sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, total suspended particulates and respirable suspended airborne particulates; it monitors the number of particles in the air that people take into their lungs when they breathe). While the recent figures are down from the 12 days over 100 in August 2002, conditions remain unhealthy for any long-distance race. According to the State Environmental Protection Administration, “Cardiac and respiratory system patients should reduce strength draining and outdoor activities” at API levels greater than 100. Beijing’s Mayor Wang Qishan, however, in addressing his administration’s priorities, repeatedly only mentions sewage, public toilets and traffic as the residents’ top concerns. But for Orts, the problem runs much deeper.

He says the root of Beijing’s problems is, ironically, the cause of its successes. As Beijing continues to expand into a capitalist economy, it needs to provide incentives to foreign corporations. The incentives have come in the form of relaxed environmental restrictions, which have paved the way for industrial plants to move into the city. While there are good environmental laws on the books, there has been no law
enforcement and there are few repercussions for breaking rules. Beijing has experienced rapid economic growth but at the cost of clean air and clean water. “The rest of the world must also take responsibility, since we are all benefiting from cheaper goods,” Orts says.

The catalyst for Beijing’s environmental dilemma is a lack of separation between government and business. On one hand, Beijing’s local business owners are doubling as members of the Communist party (which runs the city). On the other hand, the Communist government structure restricts the role of non-government organizations to wield any influence as outside security checks. With no legal system in place, individuals are unable to file health violation lawsuits against the government. “It is a difficult situation, since the legitimacy of the government depends on economic growth, but there are political tradeoffs,” says Orts.

The Beijing Olympics will serve an important role in bringing these political trade-offs full circle. Representatives from countries around the world will be in Beijing in 2008, and their experiences drinking the water and breathing the air will influence whether they choose to move into the city. That, in addition to the increase in health care costs as a result of environmental factors, will cut into Beijing’s economic growth and force the city to make changes.

This is not a simple sports event at all.  Its meaning surpasses the importance of sports itself.”
– Tu Ming De, vice president of the Chinese Olympic Committee, describing Beijing’s role in the 2008 Olympics

But, as the World Health Organization and other critics have pointed out, the story is not all bad. Since winning the bid, Beijing has earmarked $40 billion toward infrastructure improvements. They plan to create a new subway system to carry the nearly 550,000 foreign and 2 million domestic visitors. They plan to bring 1,000 electric buses to the streets. They plan to upgrade sewage treatment plants and create high-tech and energy-efficient buildings. Beijing is already substantiating their promise of a “Green Olympics”: The 91,000-seat National Stadium, nicknamed the “Birds’ Nest,” will collect rainwater to irrigate the lawn; the Olympic Stadium will feature a solar energy hot water system and solar energy street, turf and court lamps; and the National Aquatics Center will be padded by ETFE (Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene) to allow more light and reduce energy costs by 30 percent.

Another $12.2 billion has been earmarked to improve air quality. This includes the shutting down and relocation of nearly 640 mining plants, conversion of businesses from coal to gas, the implementation of “No Car Day” (asking residents to refrain from driving one day a month as part of the “Defending the Blue Sky” program) and the planting of 12,000 trees.

But with a commitment to build or renovate 72 sports stadiums and training centers, 59 new asphalt roads and three new bridges by Opening Ceremony on Aug. 8, 2008, the clock is ticking, and Beijing may be running out of time.