Beijing’sNationalCenterforthePerformingArtsonJune12,2015.ThePM2.5densityinBeijingdropped9.9percentin2016,alargedecreasecomparedto6.2percentin2015and4percentin2014.VCGChinahasbeenplaguedbysmoginrecentyears,especiallyintheregionaroundBeijing,TianjinandHebeiProvince.Thepollutionremainsheavyandneedstobecurbedimmediately.Issuedin2013bytheStateCouncilofChina,theLawofthePeople’sRepublicofChinaonthePreventionandControlofAtmosphericPollution,thestrictesteverofitskindinthecountry,definesacleartargetfordecreasingthedensityofPM2.5andoutlinesaworkableactionplan.Morerecently,theNationalAcademyofDevelopmentandStrategy(NADS)atRenminUniversityofChinapublishedReportonPolicyEvaluationofSmogGovernanceinBeijing-Tianjin-HebeiRegion,whichconfirmedthattheBeijing-Tianjin-Hebeiregionstillfacesanuphillbattletomeetthetargetssetfor2017.OnNovember18,2015,thelabfortransportationenergyconservationandemissionreductionwassetupinBeijing.ItwasthefirstofitskindintheBeijing-Tianjin-Hebeiregion.VCGIndustrialTransformation
“Atitscore,thesmogproblemintheBeijing-Tianjin-Hebeiregionisbecausethetotalvolumeofpollutionintheregionhasgreatlysurpassedthelocalenvironment’scarryingcapacity,”saysShiMinjun,publisherofthereportandresearchfellowoftheNADS.
TheOutlineofthePlanforCoordinatedDevelopmentfortheBeijing-Tianjin-HebeiRegion,releasedin2015,listsenvironmentalgovernanceasoneofthetopthreepriorities.“CoordinateddevelopmentoftheBeijing-Tianjin-Hebeiregionisakeystrategy,”addsShi.“Throughtheestablishedmechanism,administratorscansolveurbanproblemsfacingBeijingandstilllimitairpollutionwhilepromotingindustrialtransformation.DevelopmentinBeijing,TianjinandHebeiProvincehasreacheddifferentlevels,soeachplacehasdifferentcapabilitiestohandlepollution.Withtheimprovementofgovernance,coordinatedpollutionfightinghasbecomemoreimportant.”
Thereportconcludesthatthesolutiontosmogcontrolisadjustingtheindustrialstructure.Merelyshuttingdownfactoriescannoteliminatesmogthroughouttheregion.Industrialtransformationshouldmoveforwardsothatthevolumeofpollutioncanbecontrolledandtheenvironmentalburdendecreased.
“Industrialrestructuringmusthavesomeimpactontheeconomy,”explainsShi.“Buttheeconomicsystemhastheabilitytoadjustautomaticallytoadapttothetransformationandalleviatetheimpacts.Solocalgovernmentshavetofaceuptotheshort-termeffectsresultingfromsmogcontrolonthelocaleconomyandpubliclivelihood.”Actually,Shibelievesthatifthepossiblehealthcostbroughtbysmogistakenintoconsideration,theeconomiccostofsmogcontrolisnotsomassive.
EffortsforBlueSky
“Industrialtransformationisimportant,”Shiopines.“Butithasbecomeconsensusthatenvironmentalprotectionrequiresjointeffortsfromgovernments,enterprisesandthepublic.”Inhisopinion,lifestyles,socialnormsandindustrialprotectioncanalsoinfluencethesmogsituation.Thepublicmustunderstandthatblueskieshaveacost.Everyonecancontributeandmanymustmakesacrifices.
Lastcentury,developedcountriessuchasBritain,Japan,andtheUnitedStatesalsosufferedseverepollutionduringcertainperiods.Japan,forinstance,wasfrequentlyshroudedbyheavysmoginitspreliminaryphaseofindustrialization.Atonepoint,theYokkaichiasthmabrokeoutbecauselocalsinhaledsomuchpollutionfromchemicalplants.SuchincidentsledtotheriseofenvironmentalNGOs,whichhelpedplacepressureonthegovernmenttoact.Sincethe1960s,theJapanesegovern-menthassuccessivelypromulgatedlawsconcerningenvironmentalprotection.Bythe1980s,thecountryhaddevelopedmultiplechannels,governmentaldepartments,jointlawenforcement,enhancedtechnicaldevelopmentandgreenconsumptionconcepts.
“Notonlyenterprisesbutalsoindividualsneedtofullyunderstandthatblueskiesarenotfree,”Shicontinues.“Peopleshouldknowthatelectricityismoreenvironmentally-friendlythannaturalgasandthatnaturalgasismoresothancoal.However,cleanerenergyisalsomoreexpensive.Protectingtheenvironmentrequiressacrifice.Howmanypeoplearewillingtocommittolifestylechanges?”
ShiillustratesthatparentsdrivingtheirkidstoschoolinthemorningcauseaboutathirdofBeijing’strafficjams.Ifschoolbuseswereusedtotransportthestudents,trafficcongestionwouldbealleviatedconsiderablyandemissionswoulddrop.Butsofar,thegovernmenthasnotintroducedapolicytoprovideschoolbuses.Ifschoolstookthelead,theywouldneedtoemploymorestaffandtakeonmorerisk,sofewarewillingtoshouldertheresponsibility.
AnalystsestimatethatwhenBeijingenforcestheeven-oddlicenseplaterule,fuelconsumptiondropsbyabout30percent.Hybridcarshaveproveneffectivenotonlyinreducingemissions,butalsoinachievingbetterfueleconomy.Iftraditionalcarscouldbegraduallyupgradedortradedforhybridmodels,emissionswouldalsobereduced.Butpresently,themostpopularhybridmodelsareonlymarketedbyforeigncompanies.Ifenvironmentalprotectionisthetoppriority,Shithinksthegovernmentshouldabandonprotectingthemarketfordomesticmanufacturers.Shiconsiderspollutioncontrolasystematicmissioninvolvingavarietyofsocialaspects,whichmeansthaturbanmanagementpracticesstillhavemuchroomtoimprove.
FlourishinglotusesinBeijing’sBeihaiPark.Inspringandsummer,smogintheBeijing-Tianjin-Hebeiregionhappenslessthaninwinter,theheatingseason.VCGNoUnifiedEnvironmentalRegulations
Whenaneconomydevelopstoacertainlevel,thepublicbeginstodemandabetterlivingenvironment,whichpushesenforcementofrelatedregulations.Enterprisesmustupgradetheiroperationsandthegovernmentsimproveurbanmanagement.SeveralmoredevelopedprovincessuchasZhejiang,JiangsuandGuangdonghaveplayedaleadingroleinenvironmentalprotection.“Tomeethigherenvironmentalprotectionstandards,Shaoxing’sKeqiao,adistrictmainlyrelyingonthetextiledyeingindustry,hasswitchedtonaturalgasfromcoal,”saysShi.“Itsairqualityhasimprovedalot.Economicdevelopmentcandrivecompaniestocleanupontheirown.”
Shialsociteshishometown,amountainousregioninZhejiangProvince.Inthe1980s,localsreclaimedlandtoplantcorn,butnowtheyhavefoundbettersourcesofincome.Sincetheyarenolongerdriventodevelopmorefarmlandforsurvival,themountainshavegraduallyrecoveredandbecomegreener.Shibelievesthatenvironmentalregulationsshouldalignwiththelocaldevelopmentlevel,naturalconditionsandenvironmentalcapacity.“Environmentalregulationsshouldn’tandcannotbeuniform.”
Shipointsoutthatsmogcontrolrequireseconomicmeasuresincludingtaxation,subsidiesandgreenlending.Economicleverage,incentivesandfinescanalsodrivethepublic,companiesandgovernmentalagenciesateveryleveltochangelifestylesorproductionmodes.
“China’scontrolofsmogcouldtaketwoorthreedecades,ifwelookatinternationalexperience,”Shiadmits.“Onedecademightbepossible.Romewasnotbuiltinaday.Itwilltaketimetosolvealltheaccumulatingproblems.Ifgovernmentsatvariouslevelsimplementpropermeasuresandenterprisesupgrade,wewilldefinitelyseenoticeableimprovements.”