WORLD EXPO 2010: ENVIRONMENTAL FOCUS ON "BETTER CITY, BETTER

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TAGS: SENV ETRD ENRG TRGY SCUL BEXP CH
SUBJECT: WORLD EXPO 2010: ENVIRONMENTAL FOCUS ON "BETTER CITY, BETTER
LIFE"

REF: 08 SHANGHAI 430



1. SUMMARY: Shanghai officials and event organizers are already
touting the "green" focus of Expo 2010, set to open May 1, 2010
and run for six months. With the theme "Better City, Better
Life," the Expo will showcase new approaches to urban
development, human habitats, lifestyles, and working conditions
in an effort to foster an eco-friendly society. Environmental
protection and energy conservation are key pillars; the Expo
site and facilities will boast technologies such as ecological
water purification, rainwater collection and reclamation, solar
energy, wind farm technology, geothermal heating, LED lighting,
wastewater treatment, and clean energy vehicles. Participating
countries and international organizations are also embracing the
"green values" of the Expo theme. Although U.S. participation in
the Expo is still in limbo, designers of the proposed
private-sector U.S. pavilion also plan to emphasize green
initiatives. China views the Expo as an opportunity to increase
awareness of these green values and, as a follow-on to the 2008
Olympics, to further showcase its rapid growth on the world
stage. END SUMMARY.

EXPO 2010 BACKGROUND
--------------


2. Since the Great Exhibition in London in 1851, World Fairs
have served as venues to exhibit innovation and to promote
cultural exchange. Shanghai is now taking its turn with Expo
2010, the first such event in a developing country. Over 200
countries and international organizations are expected to
participate, with more than 70 million expected visitors (the
most in history) over the six-month period from May to October.
The Expo 2010 zone itself covers a total area of 5.28 square
kilometers of a former shipyard and straddles both sides of the
Huangpu River.

AN URBAN FOCUS: "BETTER CITY, BETTER LIFE" AND GREEN VALUES
-------------- --------------


3. With Shanghai, one of China's richest, most populous and
modern cities as host, Expo 2010 will focus on urban life in the
21st century (55 percent of the world population is expected to
live in cities by the event's opening). Using the theme "Better
City, Better Life," the Expo plans to showcase new approaches to
urban development, human habitats, lifestyles, and working
conditions in an effort to foster the creation of an
eco-friendly society and the furthering of sustainable
development. The Shanghai Municipal Government and Expo 2010
organizers are touting the "green" aspects of the event, most
recently in the March edition of the Expo Bureau magazine and in
a speech by the Bureau's Deputy Director ZHU Yonglei March 24.


4. At the March 24 "Networking Party on Cooperation and
Collaboration for the World Expo 2010" featuring former German
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, Deputy Director Zhu discussed
plans to recycle the temporary pavilions after the six-month
fair and described some of the energy saving and sustainable
aspects of various national pavilions. An Australian Consulate
representative told the Consul General that his country's
pavilion will be completely recycled when the fair ends, more or
less paying for the required take-down costs.


5. According to the March Expo Bureau magazine, the Expo zone
will have a wide variety of facilities to reflect the Expo theme
and core "green" values. These installations, on permanent and
temporary structures alike, will include facilities for
ecological water purification, rainwater collection and
reclamation, solar energy, wind farm technology, geothermal
heating, LED lighting, wastewater treatment, and clean energy
vehicles. The expected 140 Expo and eco-related science and
technology projects will have a total investment of CNY 544
million (USD 79.65 million).

GREENING OF THE EXPO ALREADY UNDERWAY
--------------


6. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Shanghai
authorities are developing strategies to ensure that the host
city puts its best foot forward for the international community,
especially on environmental issues. Shanghai Environmental
Protection Bureau (EPB) officials told Econoff that Shanghai
faces unique challenges with the Expo that Beijing did not have
with the Olympics. The Olympics lasted less than three weeks
and therefore drastic measures such as shutting factories could
be implemented on a short-term basis without much impact on
people's daily lives or the economy. However, with the Expo
running for six months, authorities have to find longer-term
solutions that will minimize economic and social disruption.
For starters, the city government has moved the biggest source
of pollution in the downtown area, the Shanghai No. 3 Steel
Works, to an industrial park outside of the city.


7. As for the Expo site itself, all facilities in the Expo zone
are to be constructed according to China's "Green Building
Standard." (NOTE: The World Expo Center has already received
"China Green Building Certification" and is applying for a U.S.
Energy and Environment Design Pioneer Award. END NOTE.) In the
"Best Practices Area" of the zone, a model named "Shanghai
Eco-House" representing life in 2030 will be built using
eco-friendly construction and energy conservation technologies.
Because China lacks forest resources, timber will be used only
in very limited quantities. Temporary pavilions, including
national pavilions, are required to use materials that can be
dismantled and reused later. Greenbelts are to cover more than
one-tenth of the 5.28 sq km of the Expo zone.

TRANSPORTATION - LOW OR EMISSION FREE
--------------


8. Eco-friendly transportation is another key aspect of the
"green" focus. About 1,000 eco-vehicles will be used to help
the Expo zone stay emission-free and to keep the area around the
site at low-emission levels as well. Buses powered by dimethyl
ether (an organic compound and a clean-burning hydrocarbon fuel)
or with super capacitors will be widely used in Shanghai's
public transport system. Hydrogen-fuel-cell cars will also be
featured prominently. Plans are in the works to use them to
transport visitors not only during the Expo, but also after the
event to further test the technology's reliability. Similarly,
hydrogen refueling stations will be built in areas that are
convenient for the Expo as well as other parts of the city to
help further the domestic eco-vehicle industry.

LIGHTING AND AIR CONDITIONING - KEEPING EXPO BRIGHT AND COOL
-------------- --------------


9. Expo zone lighting will make wide use of LED technology.
Since East China is home to some of the country's largest solar
companies, solar energy will also be utilized in the zone's
lighting system. Photovoltaic batteries will be widely used on
the roofs and walls of all major Chinese pavilions, with a total
scale of more than 4 megawatts. Light-guiding fiber equipment
will also be featured, and by using this technology, sunlight
will be guided into underground spaces and solar energy will
then be stored for use at night. The grid-connected solar PV
facilities on the roofs and walls will also serve the backup
power systems used for the pavilions in emergency situations.


10. Recognizing that Shanghai gets hot in the summer, Expo
authorities are designing a series of measures to control
temperatures, including building facilities on stilts to
maximize air flow, designing natural wind fields, installing
sun-shading systems, using special temperature decreasing
materials, and cooling a building down by the sprinkling of
water. Technology utilizing the Huangpu River as a source for
storing heat in the summer and retrieving it in the cooler
autumn will be used. Compared with providing heat through fuel
gas, this technology could help save energy consumption by 40-60
percent and decrease carbon dioxide emissions by 2,600 tons on
an annualized basis in the Expo zone.

WASTE AND WATER MANAGEMENT - COLLECTION IS KEY
-------------- -


11. Waste control will be a large challenge and organizers are
hoping to use the "3R" principle (recycle-reduce-reuse) to
address this issue. A computer-controlled system to deal with
waste in the Expo zone is currently being installed. This
system will link 64 trash containers in the core area of the
Expo site through fully enclosed underground pipelines. It is
the largest such system in China and will be completely
automatic, requiring only three operators. At a cost of about
CNY 60 million (USD 8.76 million),it will handle approximately
60 of the 160 tons (37.5 percent) of the garbage expected to be
produced at the Expo site each day. Additionally, all
disposable tableware will be made of pollutant-free biomass
materials instead of traditional plastics.


12. The Expo zone will use additional eco-friendly
technologies, such as rainwater circulation. For example, all
four permanent structures (the World Expo Center, Performance
Center, Theme Pavilion, and China Pavilion) will be equipped
with rain collection and utilization systems. Water used in the
zone will mainly come from rain, which will save 1 million cubic
meters of tap water annually.

THE CHINA PAVILLION. . .
--------------


13. German-owned Siemens, via a global partnership with the
organizer, is helping to shape the China pavilion as a green
landmark. Equipped with Siemens building automation systems,
the China Pavilion will make fresh air available to visitors
with an estimated 25 percent less energy consumption than
traditional buildings. Installing Siemens low/middle-voltage
power distribution equipment, the China Pavilion will save about
50 percent of energy, and no harmful gas emissions will be
generated due to newly developed insulated materials. The
"green" lighting solutions from Siemens Osram will make the
China pavilion attractive at night, but also contribute
significantly to energy-savings. Other natural purification
elements incorporated into the design include natural
ventilation, solar technology, and a "China Garden" on the roof.


. . . AND THE OTHER PARTICIPANTS. . .
--------------


14. Other participating countries and organizations are
following suit and employing the latest cutting-edge technology
and environmentally friendly practices. Although US
participation in the Expo is yet to be confirmed, designers of
the proposed private-sector-funded U.S. pavilion also plan to
emphasize green initiatives, including a "green roof" complete
with bee hives and an urban agriculture zone. Following is a
synopsis of eco-friendly aspects of various pavilions from other
participants.

-- CANADA: The whole building will be wrapped by a special
green-leaf plant, with a special rainwater collection system.

-- COCA-COLA: Coke's building will be designed to reflect the
theme of a "green Expo" and will acquaint visitors with the
company's R&D efforts and eco-friendly practices in product
packaging, waste water treatment and air protection.

-- FINLAND: The pavilion will utilize both green design and
green construction. 3D computer models will be used to support
the construction as well as proper dismantling and reassembly in
the future.

-- HAMBURG'S URBAN BEST PRACTICES AREA PAVILION: "Hamburg House"
will use recycled energy, be self-sufficient and have zero
emissions. Technologies will be used to keep the pavilion cool
in summer while warm in autumn without having an air-conditioner.

-- JAPAN: Japan's national pavilion will highlight the country's
sophisticated technological prowess by creating a "pavilion that
breathes." It will also employ layers of ultra-light membranes
that can generate electricity.

-- NORWAY: With the theme: "Norway Powered by Nature," the
pavilion will collect solar energy via a semi-transparent roof.
It will be built by using prefabricated laminated wood building
kits and bamboo to be shipped from Norway.

-- SAIC-GENERAL MOTORS AUTO PAVILION: Brand new sustainable
automobile power and transmission systems will be displayed. GM
will also show how environmentally friendly, safe, and smart
autos in the future will resolve problems such as congestion,
air pollution and traffic accidents.

-- SWITZERLAND: The pavilion will feature an outside "curtain"
made from soybeans and dye-sensitized solar cells that are
capable of generating electricity.

-- United Nations World Meteorological Organization: As the
first meteorological pavilion in the 157-year history of the
World Fairs, the United Nations plans a high-tech weather
station that will simulate climate cataclysms to urge people to
protect the environment. It will offer weather forecasts for
the Expo site to visitors through bulletin boards inside the
site and to visitors' mobile phones.

-- UNITED KINGDON: All materials will be recycled and the whole
building will have zero emission.

COMMENT
--------------


15. World Expos feature a lot of flashes and bangs --
futuristic gadgets that may never be marketable to an average
consumer but do point the direction of innovative technology.
Expo 2010's focus on green urban development underscores
Shanghai's, and China's, increasing recognition of the
importance of the environment and people's wellbeing.
Participating countries, either through their national pavilions
or through multinationals like Siemens hope to use Expo 2010 to
showcase their latest technologies to China and the world.
Shanghai views Expo 2010 as an opportunity to demonstrate its
own commitment to green values. Moreover, as a follow-on to the
2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China hopes the Expo will
promote the country's rapid growth and development into a
prominent actor on the world stage.


CAMP