Submitted By: Chris White

It seems that, in recent years, there has been an overwhelming amount of global publicity surrounding sustainability and the environment. The exposure has been especially dramatic in the United States as Americans struggle to cope with dramatically increasing energy costs and gasoline prices, issues most of us have never really been forced to consider before. So while cities like New York and Chicago are flexing their muscles by implementing creative ways to curb energy consumption, two unlikely cities in China and India (countries not normally considered environmentally conscious) are also making great strides. Please see the article Nine Cities Nine Ideas, in the February 11, 2008 edition of the Wall Street Journal.

For most cities the motivation for curbing energy use is twofold: reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are believed to cause global warming and decrease energy costs. But for Beijing the incentives are much greater. As the host city to this summer’s Olympics games, its image and the appearance of the country as a whole, will be on display to the entire world. To many outsiders, Beijing (and China in general) is known more for its congestion and terrible pollution, than any other aspects. China is hoping that this summer’s Olympic Games can erase these stereotypes and notify the world that it is serious about becoming a global economic power. In addition, the country is banking on the Olympics to provide positive exposure to help lure foreign businesses. In order to improve the country’s image to the world, Beijing has been working very hard to “clean-up” the city before the Olympics. The city has removed or relocated outdated cement kilns, coal mines, and chemical plants in order to cut energy consumption within the city. The greatest challenge, however, for the city has been the move to relocate Shougang Group’s steelworks which currently sits about 11 miles from Tiananmen Square. Production is being wound down for the Olympics and operation is scheduled to cease in 2010 in order to relocate to a more efficient facility more than 100 miles away. The old infrastructure will remain open as a tourist attraction and a sign of the city’s push toward energy efficiency. So while I applaud China’s efforts to reduce their energy consumption, it seems that this push is more of a means of marketing their country instead of really taking a stand on curbing pollution.

What will happen after the Olympics when the world is no longer looking? Will China’s energy push diminish? Is this just a temporary show? And does simply relocating many factories outside the city really solve the overall problem?

The article also mentions another city in Asia, though much less well known than Beijing, that is making headlines for its strives to reduce energy consumption. Thane, India, a suburb of Mumbai, has dedicated itself to becoming the country’s leader in renewable energy efforts in order to cope with the increased energy demands of the booming economy. Since 2003, the city has implemented the use of solar water heaters on all municipal buildings. And in 2005, the city made it mandatory for builders to fit all new buildings with solar water heaters. In addition, the city’s administration has encouraged its residents to install solar water heaters on their existing homes by offering a 10% discount on property tax every year. The move has been estimated to save enough energy to power more than 5,000 homes. If this little known suburb outside of Mumbai, India is able to make these small, yet dramatic changes, why can’t municipalities in the U.S. do the same?

Also keep the following facts from Robyn Meredith’s The Elephant and the Dragon: The Rise of India and China and What it Means for All of Us in mind while considering the above achievements. All but two of the world’s twenty most polluted cities are in India or China. Half of India’s and two-thirds of China’s energy needs are derived from coal. Pollution issues cost China an estimated $54 billion a year and 200 Chinese cities currently fail to meet World Health Organization standards for airborne particulates. These countries have a long way to go before they can be considered environmentally friendly, but the small strides mentioned above are also big steps for two countries that are trying to awaken from the constraints of closed economies.