Having seen a lot or little information about it, we all know about places that contribute highly to a more polluted world due to lack of organization: from the “almost sewerless” streets of Lagos, Nigeria to the starless sky of Beijing, People’s Republic of China.
The second has to be noted and applaud for the efforts made to clean its air. After being selected to host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, Beijing spent about US$17 billion to clean the air, and one year later, official reports are saying the 9th most populous city in the world is enjoying its best air quality this decade.
Another city that improved a lot due to hosting the Summer Olympic Games is Barcelona (1992). It helped the city to modernize existing areas and extend the limits (very carefully thought through) opening to the see as well, by reconstructing a decaying area of the city into the Olympic Village.
Today Barcelona is the sixth-most populous urban area in the European Union and a major economic centre in the world. Today it is a role model for a lot more than organized and thought-out growth, it is also an example to follow in the use of renewable energies: “Barcelona’s municipal regulation gives it an mandatory stature: 60% of water heating in new and renewed buildings and it’s full amount in water used for pools must come from solar energy. More than 25 thousand megawatts/hour of energy are saved annually. Barcelona will have more than a hundred thousand square meters of photovoltaic panels. Residents save more than 220 thousand euros per year in electricity taxes”.
The second has to be noted and applaud for the efforts made to clean its air. After being selected to host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, Beijing spent about US$17 billion to clean the air, and one year later, official reports are saying the 9th most populous city in the world is enjoying its best air quality this decade.
Another city that improved a lot due to hosting the Summer Olympic Games is Barcelona (1992). It helped the city to modernize existing areas and extend the limits (very carefully thought through) opening to the see as well, by reconstructing a decaying area of the city into the Olympic Village.
Today Barcelona is the sixth-most populous urban area in the European Union and a major economic centre in the world. Today it is a role model for a lot more than organized and thought-out growth, it is also an example to follow in the use of renewable energies: “Barcelona’s municipal regulation gives it an mandatory stature: 60% of water heating in new and renewed buildings and it’s full amount in water used for pools must come from solar energy. More than 25 thousand megawatts/hour of energy are saved annually. Barcelona will have more than a hundred thousand square meters of photovoltaic panels. Residents save more than 220 thousand euros per year in electricity taxes”.
Quotations from National Geographic Portugal’s, O Estado do Planeta special issue. (Translated)
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