The deputy mayor of Beijing has put emission controls at the forefront of China's 2008 Olympics, naming it the 'Green Olympics'.

Speaking at the meeting of the Fourth Beijing Environmental Protection Committee, deputy mayor Ji Lin told the People's Daily that imposing emission controls would form a key facet of the country's development ahead of the imminent games.

"The congenital deficiency of Beijing's climate conditions requires a problem-tackling spirit in honouring the 'Green Olympic' commitment," he commented.

"We must strive to make Beijing's 'good weather days' reach 62 per cent or higher in 2004. During the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Beijing's atmospheric quality must reach the standard every day. We must win this problem-tackling war," he added.

However, experts acknowledged that tackling the problem could prove difficult - while specific measures can be adopted to tackle the problems of pollution, the combination of pollutants has made it hard to single out one solution.

Shi Hanmin, director-general of Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, said that there was no easy answer, but outlined a broad plan for curtailing emissions that would target a range of sources.

"For composite atmospheric pollution any single measure by itself can not solve the problem. It requires the adoption of comprehensive pollution control measures directed at existing emission sources," he commented.

Among the solutions proposed is a plan to upgrade or eliminate all 10-year-plus buses and diesel buses that don't meet European emission standards.