Winter Olympics without natural snow and mountains far from Beijing: the Olympic fortnight (from February 4 to 20) in the Chinese capital will have an ecological cost, despite the promises of the organizers
What are China’s commitments?
Beijing, which has promised to organize “green” Games, announced that the electricity consumed during the events would be entirely of renewable origin. Zhangjiakou, the city that co-hosts the Games about 180 km northwest of Beijing, has installed wind turbines that can produce 14 million kilowatts.
The surrounding mountains are covered with solar panels with an additional capacity of 7 million kilowatts. These various installations are linked to a distribution center to which the Olympic venues will be connected – allowing Beijing to say that the power for the Games is solely of renewable origin. But nationally, China continues to depend two-thirds on coal for its power generation.
Clean air?
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 cut production in half in August, and tens of thousands of factories had to pay fines for exceeding emission limits.
Wind turbines have been installed in Zhangjiakou, a city that co-organizes the Games about 180 km northwest of Beijing.
GREG BAKER / AFP
Air quality has undeniably improved in Beijing in recent years: the Chinese capital recorded only 10 days of high air pollution in 2020, up from 43 in 2015, according to the Ministry of the Environment. However, the presence of fine particles from the rest of the country continues to regularly exceed WHO recommendations.
What will be the impact of transport?
As the mountains are distant from the capital, Beijing has built a TGV line to reach the ski slopes and other Olympic venues, and has set up hundreds of coaches to transport athletes and accompanying staff. According to the organizers, 85% of the vehicles used for the Olympics-2022 will run on electricity or hydrogen.
Due to the epidemic, only spectators residing in China will be able to attend the Games – which should mechanically reduce the ecological cost of air transport compared to previous Olympics.
Where does the snow come from?
Little snow is falling in Beijing. Consequence: if artificial snow is used as a back-up for the Winter Games since those of Lake Placid in the United States in 1980, those of Beijing will be totally dependent on it.
China estimated in 2019 that it would need 185 million liters of water to cover the runways. The organizers assure that this water does not contain chemicals and will naturally penetrate the soil when it melts.
What long-term impact?
When Beijing was named host city of the Olympics-2022, one of the arguments was that the events would encourage 300 million Chinese to take up winter sports. But this activity risks putting even more pressure on water resources. Beijing can already count on only 300 m3 of water per year and per capita, less than a third of the supply recommended by UN standards.