The Chinese government has recently unveiled further plans to make Beijing one of the most sustainable Winter Olympics in history.
Beijing’s plans include creating a ‘pilot city’ to showcase the low-carbon transition at Zhangjiakou, which is co-hosting the games in nearby Hebei Province.
To achieve this, the government has recently signed a co-operation agreement with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
The deal will help with the establishment of a ‘low-carbon Olympic zone’ in Zhangjiakou where both the Olympic centre and stadiums will be powered by renewables. The city also has a goal of generating 50 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2020.
The pursuit of a low-carbon Winter Olympics in 2022 will not only support China’s ambition to lower harmful emissions, but it will also see them pioneer a movement towards the cost-effective decarbonisation of the world’s greatest spectacles.
A recurring criticism of the Olympic Games is the huge amount of building work and construction with little use after the event is over. Beijing will, however, make use of existing stadiums to reduce environmental impact.
In the capital city, 11 of 13 venues to be used in 2022 were in existence when China hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics. The iconic Bird’s Nest stadium will also be used for the opening and closing ceremonies in 2022.