Hosting the Olympic Winter Games would play a unique role in push-ing Beijing to address pollution, according to Song Qiang, an environ-mental expert with the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games Bid Com-mittee.

Song told the People’s Daily that Beijing has ample water resources to make artificial snow if the city is granted the Games.

At the beginning of our bid, research institutions made detailed assess-ments of water resources in this region. The sustainability and planning of water resources in North China takes the lead in the nation,” said Song, adding that Beijing has implemented strict water-consumption control measures, and water resource management has already reached advanced international standards.

Song explained that air quality in North China has improved greatly since the Beijing Clean Air Action Plan (2013-17), whose effect was most noticeable in the first half of 2015.

He predicted that the air quality of northern China, especially Beijing, would experience drastic improvement by 2022.

Song indicated that Beijing is confident it can achieve WHO environmental standards while hosting the Olympic Winter Games.