Compiled by Caijing staff

Tears were shed among veteran workers when blast furnaces were silenced at the Beijing facilities of Capital Iron and Steel Group, or Shougang, after the government launched a massive effort to reduce air pollution for the 2008 Olympics.

But the steelmaking plant’s closure and Shougang’s relocation to a new site four hours east of Beijing in Tangshan was considered one of many positive developments for the region’s industrial future.

The city has likewise modernized factories, implemented emissions controls and taken other steps to both upgrade the region’s industrial sector and increase the number of “blue sky days” during and after the Olympics.

A source at the Municipal Commission of Development and Reform – the city government’s economic planning agency – told Caijing that “the Olympic Games not only bring business opportunities to China, but also give us a good chance for industrial restructuring.”

To weed out companies with high levels of emissions, energy consumption and water use, the city shut down or suspended 24 enterprises in 2007 including cement, paper and electroplating plants. More than 21 million yuan was distributed to 18 enterprises to help with personnel placement and remediation work. Another 40 enterprises were slated to be closed or suspended in 2008.

In addition, the city government issued an air protection notice in April that ordered polluting industries such as cement makers to halt operations between July 20 and September 20. Power plants were asked to burn high quality, low sulfur coal and improve pollution controls in hopes of cutting emissions 30 percent.

Du Shaozhong, deputy director of the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, said most of the 200 air pollution control measures undertaken in connection with the Olympics are long-term measures that will benefit the city for years to come.

Du’s colleague Zhang Baosen told Caijing that the government will not reverse policies that led to the construction of new sewage treatment plants and reduced vehicle emissions. Policies that affected industries, oil and gas conservation, and the use of clean energy will be maintained, he said.

The environmental group Greenpeace has acknowledged that Beijing’s sulfur dioxide levels meet World Health Organization guidelines, but said the city’s air still contains excessive amounts of suspended particulates.

Greenpeace criticized a lack of transparency for Beijing environmental data and argued that many of the Olympics blue sky efforts were short-term. However, it said the games open a door for long-term improvements in Beijing and other cities in China.

Beijing officials note that Gilbert Felli, IOC Olympic Games executive director, told the official Xinhua news agency in July that the host city’s air quality was better than many foreigners had expected.

Caijing learned that the blue sky project actually dates to 1998 and has so far cost more than 140 billion yuan.

Beijing residents hope the games will be a genuine catalyst for long-range improvements. Environmental experts, however, say another decade of work may be needed to completely clear Beijing’s air.

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