China strives for first 'green' Expo

CHINA: China, the world's number one emitter of greenhouse gases, aims to hold the first "green" World Expo in Shanghai, as the sprawling metropolis tries to shed its polluted past and become eco-friendly.

With less than three months to go before Expo opens on May 1, an army of workers is hurrying to turn what was once China's oldest shipyard into an environmentally friendly oasis in the heart of the country's biggest city.

Solar power, recycled rainwater, hybrid engine buses - organisers and countries participating in the six-month event, expected to draw up to 100 million visitors, are sparing no effort to create a "Better City, Better Life."

"Green thinking, protecting the environment, harmony, low carbon - these are ideas that not only will we display at Expo, but we need to make each visitor feel them," said Shanghai Mayor Han Zheng.

It will be China's largest solar generation project, said Xu Bo, assistant commissioner general for Expo.

Carbon dioxide emissions will be significantly reduced as a result of the measures taken, said Xu.

Several Expo pavilions have been designed to harness the sun's rays.

Solar panels cover the roof of China's national pavilion, "The Oriental Crown," a 60-metre-tall red upside-down pyramid - one of a handful of buildings that will remain at the 5.3-square-kilometre (two-square-mile) site. Shanghai, Thursday, AFP