China: Environment & Development » politics

Mid-program updates

gordondavis — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:18:01 +0000

This first year of the China Environment and Development program has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience for me. We completed five weeks at Hong Kong University and spent a week in Beijing, and have just now settled into the international guest house at Tongji University in Shanghai, where we’ll remain until December 10.

The principal academic focus in Hong Kong was an examination of cross-border pollution issues in the Pearl River Delta, the triangular region with Guangzhou at the apex and Macau and Hong Kong defining the base. We toured parts of the region on three occasions to augment our classroom time. In an extra-curricular session at the end, the students developed a short recapitulation of the issues, based on their experiences. This document is worth sharing, and I do so below.

“The Pearl River Delta (PRD) Region is defined by the geography and surrounding cities of the Pearl River, sharing resources and culture. The greatest influence left from British colonialism is the rule of law, which has globalized Hong Kong, while the Chinese governmental reforms initiated by Deng Xiaoping created the Special Economic Zones (SEZ) in Shenzhen and Zhuhai, leading to the great industrialization of the PRD region. The Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) was created for the return of Hong Kong to China in 1997, which initiated the One Country, Two Systems policy. Cheap labor is feeding the PRD’s economic development, as well as its inefficient factories and reliance on coal.

“In the late 90’s, industrial waste discharge caused heavy pollution to the PRD and Hong Kong’s water supply. Hong Kong constructed a closed aqueduct to address this problem, but for the PRD, the problem is getting worse. Emissions from coal plants, industrial activities, and transportation have led to dramatic air pollution in the PRD. Air pollution is a huge cost to society; air pollution related health problems are a major public health concern in the region.

“Since a large portion of HKSAR’s legislative body is chosen by the business sector, the government favors economic growth and has not passed strong environmental policies. In the mainland, the local Environmental Protection Bureaus do not enforce national regulations because they receive greater economic benefits if they are more lenient. Furthermore, the hierarchy of the Chinese government forces Hong Kong to work directly through the central government to collaborate with Guangdong Province, preventing effective solutions for regional environmental problems.

“Environmental experts predict that air quality in the region will get much worse. There is hope that new intergovernmental programs will improve the environment, but this will depend upon greater cooperation within the PRD. The last couple years have seen a significant increase in cooperation, and this is partly due to the growing threat of competition from the Yangtze River Delta. Governments and business leaders now realize that greater collaboration is necessary to maintain competitiveness and sustainability.”

The course now underway that explores China’s struggle to cope with the considerable pollution generated by its remarkable economic growth has been augmented by guest lectures from experts on Chinese economic reform, foreign policy and civil society. The remainder of the quarter will include a visit to Fanjiapu, the ancestral village of one of the students in Liaoning Province, a stone’s throw from the North Korean border.

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Hong Kong Photo Album

gordondavis — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:49:57 +0000

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(Non-) Governmental Organizations

emilywright — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:28:01 +0000

Almost every day that I have been in Hong Kong, I have been reminded of the vast comforts and freedoms I take for granted as a citizen of the United States. Our guest lecture today was another one of those daily wake-up calls. The discussion was about environmental NGOs, which was a significant topic in the guest professor’s doctoral thesis.

In the U.S., NGOs are the heroes, the watchdogs, the supporters. They have played an outstanding role in filling the void left by the government and private sector by providing services and assistance to those in need—be it people, plants, animals, or bodies of water. As beneficiaries of their work, we, citizens, put our trust in their honesty, equality, and ethical behavior. We depend on our government and the NGOs to have a positive and cooperative relationship, but to be completely independent bodies.

In China, such a vision of NGOs could not be more foreign. While the number of environmental NGOs has grown quite dramatically since the 1990s, when China’s presence on the international environmental stage sparked more leniency in domestic affairs and a greater commitment to environmental matters by the state, their influence on policy and governance is meager. The society’s tendency to refrain from public participation, coupled with the tense political environment, causes NGOs’ self-censored activity to be focused on fairly innocent initiatives, such as teaching children about environmental issues and improving recycling. Furthermore, NGOs tend to have close ties with the government, and there are even “GONGOs”, which are government-operated NGOs. Trust in honest and ethical behavior? Perhaps, for some. Independent bodies? Filling the void? Not so much.

With all of the talk about greenhouse gas emissions and pollution, among other issues, in China, there is hope for the future. Increasing pressure, politically and economically, from the international community and decentralization of the state are just two factors that could spur an improvement in environmental policies. However, as we were clearly told by our guest professor, the solution will not be found in the activity of (GO)NGOs.

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“Develop first, clean up later.”

emilywright — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:39:35 +0000

This simple phrase has been China’s motto as it has grown to become one of the biggest economic powers on Earth. While the country has succeeded in lifting millions out of poverty and opening its economy and society up to the rest of the world, it has done so on the environment’s tab and unfortunately, it is time to pay the bill.

The central government is slowly taking steps to improve its relationship to the environment and lessen its impact. However, progressive policies and goals are usually thwarted at the local level, mainly due to corruption. In Hong Kong, the semi-autonomous government has taken a half-hearted approach to environmental regulations; on the one hand, it acknowledges there is an air pollution problem, among other issues, and wants to fix this, but on the other hand, it does not want to take any steps that could hinder the economy or scar its reputation with Beijing.

Through my observations of Hong Kong thus far, I have realized that such inconsistent behavior more or less sums up Hong Kong’s relationship to the environment. When I walk down the street, I see compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs), rather than incandescent bulbs, for sale at every convenience store, yet I feel the air-conditioned air rushing out of stores and businesses in a wave of wasted energy. On a hike on nearby Lamma Island, I was awed by the grandeur of Hong Kong’s lone windmill and its mini-public education area—its beauty, real-time monitoring display, information about renewable energy, and solar-powered night lights. But a bit further along the path, I got another awe-inspiring view, though more out of dread, by the monstrous coal-fired power plant.

These discrepancies instill a sense of hope and sadness within me. China’s global strength and skyrocketing population necessitate major action to curb its greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible. Whether Beijing will follow through with its promises to act on climate change and whether the local governments will actually implement policies will be a question for Copenhagen, when global leaders will meet to discuss climate change, and beyond.

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My First Protest

williamfan — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:38:07 +0000

Emily had spotted a protest for human rights while skimming through the morning paper. We made it a point to be there. After a short bus ride, we walked to the closed off street of the protest, which had banners and signs lying on the ground, neatly dispersed, waiting to be picked up and waved furiously.

We waited for the demonstration to begin. We looked at the pictures of the faces of the heroes of the democracy movement and read their descriptions. I told Emily that this was my first protest. It was hers as well. And of course, our first protest had to be in Cantonese.

A college reporter came over to Robbie and asked him a few questions. “Why are you here? What got you interested?” The student left, content with a few quotes, only to come back a few minutes later to ask for a picture.

Then, the demonstration began. A voice yelled out furiously words about freedom and democracy, at least that’s what I assume. Before I knew it, we began marching. What had been maybe thirty people all of sudden grew to a sizable crowd. The newspaper said it was six hundred people, but at the time, it seemed like no less than a thousand. The demonstrators, mostly dressed in black, made it known that this sixtieth anniversary was no celebration, but a time to remember that many of the freedoms we enjoy were banned for 1.3 billion people.

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