After Olympic Cleanup, Will China Maintain Green Momentum?

China has undertaken a sweeping series of measures to improve its environment for the Olympics in August, but will progress continue after the games are gone? According to an article in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, there is hope that China’s long-term environmental policy will benefit from having hosted the Olympics. Increased media coverage has heightened the country’s awareness of environmental issues, one expert said, and the former environmental agency has been expanded into a full-blown ministry. Energy security also has grown as a concern since Beijing was selected for the games, with the government aiming to cut carbon-based energy use by 20 percent over five years using renewable sources. In addition, analysts say the country’s notoriously spotty enforcement of environmental regulations has improved in advance of the Olympics, something activists hope to build on when the games are over.