The mascots of the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022. [Photo/hangzhou2022.cn]

The 19th Asian Games and 4th Asian Para Games, which will be held in Hangzhou in September and October, will be the first events to achieve carbon neutrality in the history of the Games, the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee announced on April 20.

According to the organizing committee, preparations for the international event have followed the principle of minimizing carbon emissions and enterprises, public institutions and individuals were encouraged to donate forest carbon sinks, carbon credits, carbon quotas, and carbon inclusion to achieve carbon neutrality.

For example, the organizing committee has worked with Alipay to encourage the public to donate one kilogram of "energy" they collected in a game known as Ant Forest. Ant Forest is a mobile Alipay wherein people exchange their actual daily footsteps for virtual energy, which can be used to plant real trees in China's remote areas.

In addition, the organizing committee said that it has developed a specialized carbon neutral data management platform that uses digital technology for carbon emissions accounting, can make data traceable, and can carry out dynamic updates on some data.

The Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium, also known as the "Big Lotus", is illuminated by green electricity from western China at night. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]