Significant strides are being made to "green" the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, a report issued on October 25 by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) says.

Eric Falt, Director of the Division of Communications and Public Information of UNEP, said that the report was based on a review of studies and technical assessments by the organizing committee and the Chinese authorities. It was also based on field visits to China by UNEP in 2007 and by liaison with relevant NGOs.

"The initial score card on the Beijing Olympics and Paralympics 2008 is positive in terms of the greening of the games," said Achim Steiner, UN Under Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, in the report. "The more than $12 billion spent by the Beijing Municipal Government and the Central Government appears to have been well spent and will be even better spent if the lessons learned and measures adopted are picked up by municipalities across the country, so as to leave a real and lasting nationwide legacy."

The report analyzes the "Green Olympics" in terms of air quality, transport, energy and industry, water, solid waste, green coverage and protected areas in Beijing. UNEP's concerns before conducting the report were two-fold. Firstly, it wanted to assess Beijing's performance against its commitments, and to provide comments where necessary. Secondly, it wanted to ensure that the wider public could learn from Beijing's challenges and achievements.

When Beijing won the bid to host the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games, a decision was taken to accelerate and add to the existing Beijing Sustainable Development Plan scheduled to be completed in 2015. Twenty key greening projects are at the center of the plan alongside the "Olympic Green" project incorporating 20 venues, the Olympic Village and the 760-hectare Forest Park.

The UNEP report covers these initiatives and reflects on the wider impacts of the Games on Beijing and beyond, including organizers of future high-profile international events.

The report says that environmental measures are being introduced covering waste management, cleaner transport systems and water treatment, as well as new urban green belts including a 580-hectare Olympic Forest Park. And the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games should also be commended for accelerating the phase-out of ozone-depleting chemicals and for the provision of energy efficiency and green energy appliances at buildings and sports venues.

Solar power is also being extensively deployed to light lawns, courtyards and streets at several venues including the Olympic Village, and organizers have well-developed plans to reuse and recycle venues after the event closes. Substantial investments have been made in water and sewage treatment, rainwater harvesting and intelligent irrigation systems. And a total of 3,060 petrol-powered cars, minivans and small buses will be deployed, which organizers say will meet latest emission control standards. Primary schools in Beijing are taking part in "Reserve a Barrel of Water this Summer" to promote water saving. Organizers have made what UNEP has described as an "extraordinary achievement" in avoiding chemicals that damage the ozone layer at Games venues and providing facilities such as air conditioning, refrigeration units and fire fighting equipment.

But while the report acknowledges the significant investment and achievements of organizers of the 2008 Olympic Games, it also highlights some remaining concerns and missed opportunities that there may still be time to rectify. Some of these are specific to the Games themselves, while others are linked to challenges facing the city of Beijing generally as it attempts to reduce pollution and steer its development onto a more sustainable path.

The under-utilization of the city's expanding public transport network is one concern. Overall, Beijing's public ground transportation capacity is 19 million passengers per day, yet it is under-utilized to the tune of around 8.5 million passengers daily.

The study also flags up concerns over voluntary environmental arrangements between contractors, hotels, caterers and providers of transport and the organizing committee. "Vigilance will need to be the watchword to ensure last-minute corners are not cut in the area of environment in order to meet deadlines," said Steiner.