Organizers defend starting with a bang
- Source: Global Times
- [10:34 May 07 2010]
- Comments
By Ye Jun
As newly planted greens line the grounds surrounding the Expo park - making traces of the environmental disturbance caused by the fireworks used for the opening of the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai barely noticeable to the naked eye a week later - organizers are defending its use of 500 tons of explosives.
The justification comes after organizers tended to some 3,000 square meters of lawn damaged by crowds that rushed to river banks to watch the opening.
Mounds of garbage left behind have also been cleared and air quality in the area has long resumed to nationally accepted standards, claim organizers.
"All of the fireworks used for the opening ceremony of the Expo were made from environmentally friendly materials," said Deng Jie, the manager in charge of fireworks support for the show.
"Unlike traditional fireworks, these ones leave only a small amount of smoke behind," she added.
Since the opening ceremony, residents have continued to complain about the poor air quality and pollution still lingering in Pudong New Area, arguing that the extravaganza contradicts the very theme the show is meant to underline: sustainable living.
The grand opening on the eve of the launch of the six-month affair dedicated to the pursuit of a low-carbon lifestyle lit up the night sky with some 300 kinds of pyrotechnics, setting off a total of 100,000 fireworks - 20,000 more than that used for the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Officials, too, have responded to the public backlash by saying the action was calculated, minding environmental concerns.
"The pollution caused by the fireworks for the opening celebration of the Expo has not caused serious harm, and is less than that created during traditional holidays including the Spring Festival," Zhang Quan, head of the Shanghai Environ-mental Protection Bureau, told reporters on Wednesday.
He added that while the fireworks increased the particulate concentration in the air above the Expo park by some 30 percent after the show, the amount of sulfur dioxide remained low while the air quality returned back to normal after just a couple of hours.
