South Africa should follow Germany's example and make sure the 2010 World Cup is as "green" as possible, senior international environment officials said Monday.
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — South Africa should follow Germany's example and make sure the 2010 World Cup is as "green" as possible, senior international environment officials said Monday.
Monique Barbut, head of the Global Environment Facility, said the World Bank-backed fund was willing to give the South African government a grant of about US$11 million (euro8.6 million) to ensure that transport and waste management at the World Cup are environmentally friendly.
The Facility, which is a partnership between the United Nations and the World Bank, gives grants to projects in developing countries to promote sustainable development and biodiversity, and to cut pollution.
Barbut said governments pledged US$3.1 billion (euro2.4 billion) Monday to replenish the fund at the start of a three-day meeting.
Achim Steiner, head of the U.N. Environment Program, urged the South African government to seize the chance to use the 2010 World Cup as a catalyst for a better, cleaner public transport system.
"It's a great opportunity for South Africa to take the notion of an environmentally sustainable World Cup further than it has ever been before," he said. He said authorities should use the World Cup as a tool "to bring real and feelable benefits to everyone who struggles with public transport."
South Africa's public transport relies heavily on minibus taxis and buses in the absence of a reliable train network. One of the major headaches in the planning for 2010 is the question of how the expected 350,000 foreign tourists will travel to and between matches.
It doesn't have a hope of matching Germany's superb rail and tram network, but officials said that even by promoting simple measures, such as the use of dedicated bus lanes and more bicycles, there would be a lasting impact on the environment.
For instance, Bus Rapid Transport lanes and other traffic measures has cut transport-related smog by 10 percent in Mexico City and is expected to achieve average annual benefits of over US$750 million (US$588 million), according to a World Bank study released Monday.
"South Africa has the time to plan ahead so that it doesn't have to be an act of environmental faith that you use the public transport system. It simply is the most convenient and most practical way of getting there," Steiner said.
The government has set aside 3.7 billion rands (US$518 million, euro404 million) to improve transportation ahead of the World Cup. Martin Mokonyama, deputy director-general of transport, said it was in the process of identifying transport projects that would qualify for environmental grants.
Soccer greats Ronaldo and Zinedine Zidane threw their weight behind the initiative.
"We hope the project being studied under the Global Environment Facility will play its part in making the next FIFA World Cup a healthier, more enjoyable and more inclusive event while acting as a catalyst for the development of 21st century public transport across Africa and the developing world," they said in a joint statement.
Source: Associated Press
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