Wed, Nov 30, 2011 -
The United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) released today its Final Environmental
Review of the 2010 World Exposition which
is a complete appraisal of the environmental
and social impacts of the six-month long
event with recommendations that could be
replicated in future international mass
events.
Nairobi, 29 November
2011 - The United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) released today its Final Environmental
Review of the 2010 World Exposition which
is a complete appraisal of the environmental
and social impacts of the six-month long
event with recommendations that could be
replicated in future international mass
events.
Further Resources
Shanghai Expo"There are substantial
valuable recommendations provided by this
Review for further consideration during
the post-Expo policy planning and implementation
in Shanghai, as well as in other developing
countries and cities," said Wu Qizhou,
Deputy Director of the
Shanghai Environmental
Protection Bureau at the launching event
in Nairobi, Kenya.
"Expo 2010 Shanghai
was an eye-opening event, showcasing the
best material achievements of human civilization.
It will also leave behind a rich spiritual
legacy and a constant source of inspiration,"
he added.
"As countries gather
in Durban for the climate change negotiations,
the experience and innovation of Shanghai
offer a glimpse into some of the pathways
that local authorities can take to begin
the much needed transformation to a low-carbon
world," said Nick Nuttall, UNEP's acting
Director of Communications and Public Information
and spokesperson.
The Shanghai Expo -the
largest ever with 190 countries participating
and over 70 million visitors - brought the
urban environment into a World Expo through
its theme: Better City, Better Life.
With one of the fastest
growing economies in the world, Shanghai
was able to accelerate its environmental
initiatives during the decade of preparations
for the Expo and has backed up those initiatives
financially. By 2009 investments in environmental
protection reached 42 billion Renminbi (US$6
billion), three times more than in 2000.
The Review, which was
conducted by two independent consultants,
looks at the quantitative and qualitative
environmental impact of Expo 2010 and the
long-term influence on the development of
Shanghai and surrounding areas.
The report acknowledged
extensive efforts by the city in nine key
areas: air quality, transport, energy, solid
waste, water, green coverage, protected
areas, climate neutrality and the overall
situation of the Expo site.
Among the major outcomes,
the Review highlighted the following:
The city's development
of Green Transport, with the objective of
making public transport the primary mode
of travel. In the runup to the Expo, Shanghai
built a 400-kilometers rapid transit network
and introduced new energy vehicles such
as electric buses and Hydrogen Fuel Cell
Vehicles. Of the nearly 400,000 daily visitors
to the Expo, some 92 percent used public
transport.
Millions of Shanghai citizens participated
in awareness-building campaigns for a Green
Expo, including bringing their own water
flasks instead of buying water bottles which
avoided the disposal of millions of plastic
water bottles. In addition there were also
50,000 'Green volunteers' who were trained
in Green concepts and can reinforce the
legacy of the Expo in their communities.
The strategies adopted
by Shanghai resulted in a significant improvement
of municipal planning and management systems,
including the creation of pro-active environmental
monitoring systems to ensure environmental
quality trends.
On the Climate Change
impact, there was a diverse range of mitigation
projects, which are estimated to have mitigated
4,341 kilotons of CO2e before the close
of the Expo.
To ensure energy efficient
lighting, LED lighting was used in nearly
100 percent of the Expo buildings and 80
percent of the nightscape lighting.
As part of the Expo
preparations, each pavilion was either sold
and moved to a new location or had a dismantling
plan so that materials could be recycled.
For example, the special membrane on the
outer walls of the German Pavilion was used
to produce high-quality shopping bags and
all salvageable equipment, including steel
beams and pillars, were dismantled and recycled.
While the city worked
hard for a Green Expo, the Review also notes
that Shanghai is still challenged by its
high dependency on coal for electricity
and recommends the increased use of non-renewable
sources of energy.
On air quality, the
report also recommends that Shanghai should
expedite the implementation for the monitoring
and controling of PM 2.5 -the tiny particles
of air pollution that impact human health.
While there was significant
and sustained improvement in the city's
air and water quality, the report recommended
that, even in water-abundant cities like
Shanghai, policies should be put in place
to optimize conservation and usage.
UNEP has worked on the greening of other
mass events such as the 2004 Olympic Games
in Greece, the FIFA World Cup and the Beijing
2008 Olympic Games. In 2008 UNEP also helped
the organizers of the Shanghai Expo in developing
a greening guidelines which included details
on ways in which the organizers and exhibitors
could reduce their impact on the environment
and on using the massive appeal of the Expo
to promote environmental awareness.
+ More
UNEP Goodwill Ambassadors
Honoured For Environmental Campaigning
Fri, Nov 25, 2011
Gisele Bündchen has received an International
Green Award, while fellow UNEP Goodwill
Ambassador Don Cheadle picked up the Eco
Maverick Award earlier this month.
Nairobi, 25 November
2011 - UNEP Goodwill Ambassadors Gisele
Bündchen and Don Cheadle have regularly
used their celebrity appeal to bring environmental
issues to the fore, and this month both
were recognized for their passionate commitment
to green causes.
Supermodel Gisele Bündchen
has become the first recipient of the 'Best
Green International Celebrity' at the International
Green Awards held at the Natural History
Museum in London on 24 November. She was
acknowledged for using her media prominence
to promote positive environmental behaviour.
Gisele's BlogBündchen
was appointed UNEP Goodwill Ambassador in
2009 to focus attention on some of the biggest
threats facing the planet, such as climate
change, loss of biodiversity, and environmental
degradation. Leveraging her popularity,
Bündchen became a key spokesperson
for conservation during the 2010 United
Nations Year of Biodiversity, and in 2011
drew attention to forest issues, including
a contribution to fellow Goodwill Ambassador
Yann Arthus-Bertrand's book Forests and
People.
The face that launched
some of the world's biggest fashion campaigns
has now become the face of global environmental
action. In addition to her activities as
UNEP Goodwill Ambassador, Bündchen
finds everyday ways to share her environmental
passions with the world. She maintains her
own blog which educates and inspires visitors
with information on a variety of environmental
issues.
This 6th installment
of the International Green Awards was themed
around the rainforest to coincide with the
UN 2011 International Year of Forests. The
ceremony featured state of the art visual
projections, including the UNEP film Branching
Out for a Green Economy, which was shortlisted
in the 'Best Green Audio-Visual' category.
UNEP's popular World
Environment Day (WED) Challenge was nominated
in the 'Best Green Cross Platform Digital
Media Solution' category. The campaign pitted
celebrities against each other in an online
competition to encourage members of the
public to take up a green activity for WED
on 5 June. The challenge saw Bündchen
go head-to-head with fellow UNEP Goodwill
Ambassador Don Cheadle in a bid to rally
the biggest number of green activities worldwide.
The supermodel narrowly edged out the actor
in the competition by 52 votes to 48.
But despite conceding
defeat in the WED challenge, Cheadle's commitment
to the causes of both human rights and global
environmental sustainability has not gone
unnoticed. Earlier this month, Opportunity
Green awarded its 2nd Annual Eco Maverick
Award to the actor based on his efforts
to show how clean air, water and a thriving
environment are human rights that should
be safeguarded by individuals as well as
companies and governments.
Cheadle, who was appointed
a UNEP Goodwill Ambassador in 2010, owns
a solar-powered home and as an avid golfer,
is now the spokesperson for Dixon Earth;
a company that recycles golf balls - the
first of its kind.
