Press Conference on UNDP/GEF Promoting Clean Electric Buses for theBeijingOlympics
今天（7月31日）上午，全球环境基金会和联合国开发计划署“北京奥运电动汽车项目”新闻发布会在皇苑酒店举行，由全球环境基金资助的4辆“零排放、低噪音”纯电动公交车，将加入纯电动公交车车队，在奥运村、媒体村等核心区域，为国际奥委会官员、各国运动员和记者等提供出行服务。
目前，50辆纯电动公交车已经在奥运村投入运行，这是目前世界上大型的电动公交车队，其中的4辆是由全球环境基金会资助的。这50辆电动公交车靠锂电池驱动，最突出的特点就是行驶时无废气排放，属于“零排放”的清洁汽车，行驶时噪声很低，对奥运村的空气和声环境质量都会发挥积极作用。据了解，这50辆电动公交车拥有完全的自主知识产权。
全球环境基金会是一个独立的国际机构，自1991年创建以来，一直关注全球环境问题，在气候变化、生物多样性、国际水域、有机污染物、土地退化和臭氧层保护等方面作出了积极的努力，与我国也进行了多方面的合作。全球环境基金会支持并参与北京“绿色奥运”建设，启动了“北京奥运电动汽车项目”，向北京市资助了4辆电动公交车。
北京市环保局副局长杜少中在致辞时说，全球环境基金会资助本项目的实施，体现了其对全球环境问题的关注，以及对“绿色奥运”理念的支持。电动公交车投入运行最直接的环境效益就是减少了机动车尾气污染的排放，有利于奥运场馆核心区域的空气质量。同时，通过这50辆电动公交车的示范作用，将向公众宣传普及机动车污染防治知识，推动清洁车辆技术的研发和应用。
北京奥组委工程和环境部副部长余小萱对全球环境基金会的资助给予了高度的评价，他说，电动公交车的使用实现了低噪声、零排放，是“绿色奥运、科技奥运、人文奥运”三大理念的具体体现，也是科技、环保与奥运的完美结合。项目的实施在城市交通可持续发展，节能减排和温室气体减排等方面将起到良好的示范作用。
国家财政部、北京奥组委、全球环境基金会、联合国开发计划署、市交通委、市科委、市财政局、市环保局、北京市公交集团的领导出席了发布会。
Global Environmental Facility Supports a Green Olympics
In the Olympic Village, with its arms widely open to greet guests coming from every direction, four electric buses with “low-noise, zero-emissions” labeled with the logo of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) shuttle back and forth to carry athletes, stroking scenic lines in succession.
Fifty electric buses will operate in the Olympic Village, the northern competition area and theMediaVillage, 24 hours a day, during the Games, and four of them are sponsored by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). This morning, the press conference on the project is held at the Beijing Huangyuan Hotel. Nearly 100 people are present, including leaders from the Ministry of Finance, the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, the Global Environment Facility, the United Nations Development Programme, the Beijing Municipal Committee of Communications, the Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Finance, the Beijing Municipal Environmental protection Bureau and the Beijing Public Transport Holdings, Ltd, as well as representatives of the media and citizens.
According to a manager from the GEF, it is an independent international organization established in 1991, focusing on the global environmental issues related to climate change, biodiversity, international waters, persistent organic pollutants, land degradation，and the ozone layer.
In 2007, GEF chairwoman Mrs. Monique Barbut exchanged ideas with leaders ofBeijingMunicipality, and the $1 million project titled UNDP/GEF Promoting Clean Electric Buses for the Beijing Olympics was settled and implemented after rounds of discussions among several authorities inBeijing.
The 50 buses operating in the Olympic Village have complete independent intellectual property rights. Powered by lithium batteries, they are “zero-emission” vehicles, with no exhaust emissions when driving. They are also very quiet. The buses will contribute a lot to meet the special environmental quality requirements by the venues and their surrounding areas during the Games.
Yu Xiaoxuan, deputy director of BOCOG’s Construction and Environmental Department, hailed GEF’s support. The use of electric buses, a perfect combination of technology, environmental protection and the Olympics, makes the idea of low-noise and zero-emissions vehicles become a reality, and reflects physically the three concepts of “Green Olympics, High-tech Olympics and People’s Olympics”. The project may serve as a model in such fields as the sustainable development of city transportation, the energy conservation and emission reduction, and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, he said.
Du Shaozhong, deputy director and spokesman of the Beijing Municipal Environmental protection Bureau, said, the project sponsored by the GEF further confirmed his believe that the air quality during the Games would be good. While the direct environmental benefit from these buses was reduction of vehicle emissions around the main Olympic venues, the indirect environmental effect was the accelerated development and employment of clean vehicle technology through their demonstration and promotion during the Games. Meanwhile, it also took the Games as an opportunity to disseminate knowledge about environmental protection, and raised the public’s attention on green transportation, climate change and other environmental issues.
