The 70 million visitors expected at the World Expo in Shanghai in mid-2010 should benefit from environmentally friendly conditions in the bustling city, DPA quoted the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) as saying. UNEP proposed Shanghai focus its efforts on improving air quality, transport, sustainable energy, solid waste disposal, clean water and climate neutrality at the site of the expo so that the event can leave a legacy for Shanghai's population of 20 million. "The experiences of Shanghai in handling these issues provide valuable examples and lessons for other cities in China and the world," said Achim Steiner, UNEP director. Shanghai, considered China's economic hub, is hosting its first World Expo under the theme Better City, Better Life. Environmental concerns were first fostered as part of the World Expo by the United States in 1974 in New York. UNEP said Shanghai has scaled up and accelerated its environmental initiatives since it began preparations for the expo in 2000. UNEP has given support for those initiatives and provided recommendations to improve them. UNEP cited Shanghai's efforts to build a 400-kilometer rapid transit network and experiment with electric-driven or hydrofuel-cell buses. But the city still depends on coal for electricity, and UNEP called for scaling-up development of renewable energies, including solar power.
