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The Shanghai World Expo 2010  will mark a turning point in environmental management on the mainland, organisers have vowed.  
'An estimated 70 million people will visit the Shanghai Expo,' Huang Jianzhi, deputy director of the expo organising bureau, said yesterday. 'In terms of promoting and popularising environmental concepts, this will have an undeniably important and positive impact.' 
Mr Huang was speaking at the launch of a bilingual report on the city's efforts to clean up pollution and improve environmental protection in the run-up to the expo. 
The 123-page report - printed on recycled paper  - details work to reduce vehicle emissions, clean waterways and modernise heavy industry, an effort dating back to 2000. 
Zhang Quan, director of Shanghai's Environmental Protection Bureau, said preparations for the expo had given the city the impetus for a major shift in its long-term environmental strategy. 
'Annual investment in environmental protection across the whole city has been more than 3 per cent of  [gross domestic product] for nine years running, totalling more than 225 billion yuan [HK$256 billion],' Mr Zhang said. 
The six-month event, which begins on May 1, is expected to draw 70 million visitors, with the vast majority coming from the mainland. 
The fair's theme, 'Better city, better life', is intended to draw together international examples of forward-thinking and environmentally friendly urban planning. But the drive to beautify the city and upgrade infrastructure has been producing vast amounts of construction waste.  
Entire neighbourhoods have been flattened to make way for  subway stations and road tunnels.  Over the past few months, teams of workers have been tearing up undamaged pavements  to replace them with new, colour-co-ordinated paving schemes. Moreover, nearly all of the pavilions and buildings on the 5.28 square kilometre expo site will be demolished once the show is over. Although participants are being encouraged to use recyclable materials, there is no requirement to do so. 
The city is also expanding the road and motorway network at an accelerated rate, a sign of the region's increasing reliance on the private car.
However, officials were keen to stress yesterday that their focus was on public transport. 
'The Shanghai Metro currently has 280km of track, but by the beginning of the expo that will have been increased to 420km,' Mr Zhang said. 
'This is all being done for the convenience of local residents and to persuade them to travel by public transport.'



Organisers say expo can help promote environmental concepts