Environmental policy

In order to curb air pollution and road congestion during the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese capital enacted a two month ban on nearly half of the city's 3.5 million cars.

The action helped eliminate 120,000 tonnes of pollutants, or about 63 percent of total vehicular emissions before the ban, according to figures published by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform in mid-November.

"The effect was obvious, so many people want the measures to continue," said Zhou Wanjun, who also works for ditan360.com.

In fact, they were extended. Under the new ban, which started Oct. 11, 70 percent of government vehicles and all corporate and private cars in Beijing take turns staying off the road one day during the work week.

The environmental impact is yet to be totaled, but some residents said they see a difference and want to do more.

"Now I use the subway and a bicycle to get to work. If I purchase an apartment in the future, I don't want it to be too large. Affordability is a major concern, but if my lifestyle is good for the environment, why not?" said Zhou.

Other governmental departments are also trying new environmentally friendly policies for the first time.

A three-day seminar, sponsored by the State Forestry Administration (SFA) two weeks ago in Beijing, captured newspaper headlines, not only because of what participants spoke about but also what they did.

Besides learning about carbon credits and the forestry industry, people decided to neutralize the 82.2 tonnes of carbon dioxide produced during the meeting. They donated 20,000 yuan (US$2,920) towards a tree-planting project on the outskirts of Beijing, which covers 1.3 hectares.

Cui Dapeng, an expert on sustainability at the Chinese Academy of Social Science, the country's leading think-tank, said these are all good attempts to raise public awareness, but more needs to be done to prove whether government actions are indeed practical and useful on larger scales.

"We are just at the starting point of building a low-carbon society. We need overall participation, from high-ranking leadership down to the public," said Cui.

The Beijing Olympic Games in August played a major role in popularizing low-carbon ideas because many measures were taken to make the global event a "green Olympics," he added.