New | North China’s choking, persistent smog ‘a political problem’, says outspoken sociologist
Chinese authorities should seek solutions instead of going after critics, says Renmin University sociology professor Zhou Xiaozheng
Northern China’s persistent smog problem is more a political issue than a technological one, an outspoken sociologist has said as the environmental minister admitted that the country’s industrialisation has created more pollution than nations did when they were in the same developmental stage.
Renmin University sociology professor Zhou Xiaozheng told a forum in Beijing this month that the authorities had been reluctant to admit the severity of north China’s smog problem until very recently.
But even these days, the government remained evasive about the true cause of the persistent smog, Zhou said.
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Beijing experienced its most polluted winter this year, but various explanations from government departments on the causes of the poor air quality have been met with public scepticism.
China had first to clear its “political smog” – the problem of an overly centralised power base that was not receiving sufficient supervision – before the air pollution issue could be effectively addressed, Zhou said.
Zhou said the authorities had preoccupied themselves with “creating god and making enemies” on the pollution problem rather than adopting a pragmatic attitude in seeking solutions.
For example, until a few years ago, those who complained about the choking smog were labelled as “harbouring hostile intentions”, he said.
The sociologist cited the case of an environmental vice-minister who accused the United States embassy in 2012 of “intervening in China’s domestic affairs when the embassy tweeted the country’s PM2.5 readings. PM2.5 pollutants are tiny particles in the air that are particularly hazardous to health when inhaled.
Last year, the authorities banned Under the Dome – a documentary on the smog issue, produced by CCTV news presenter Chai Jing – after it went viral online.
“It would not be the complete story if such content was not included, so the book has been put on hold,” said the researcher on condition of anonymity.
Without holding the government accountable and putting it under scrutiny, the smog issue was unlikely to be resolved in the short term, he said.
The muffling of voices potentially critical of the government ensured that there would unlikely be any large-scale public protest over the pollution problem even though it might worsen, Zhou said.
But the problem would lead to a severe “brain drain” – an exodus of the country’s social elites – from the major Chinese cities such as Beijing, he said.
“Many elites are already fleeing the city and more are considering where to go rather than just whether or not to leave,” he said.
READ MORE: Beijing’s air quality is supposed to be improving ... so why is the city still shrouded in smog?
Chen’s admission about China’s pollution problem being worse than that of other developing nations in the past was made during a work conference with other environmental officials earlier this month.
China’s per capita gross domestic product is expected to reach US$ 11,000 to 12,000 by 2020, about the same levels as that of the US and Europe between the late 1970s and mid-1980s.
At that time, the average PM2.5 concentrations in the US and EU were about 18 to 25 micrograms per cubic metre, and their PM10 levels were 44mcg per cubic metre.
In contrast, China’s 338 cities last year recorded an average PM2.5 concentration of 50mcg per cubic metre and PM10 levels of 87mcg per cubic metre.
This meant that if China wanted to lower its pollution levels by 2020 to that of the US and EU during their developing stages, it would have to halve its PM2.5 and PM10 levels in four years, an “extremely difficult” endeavour, according to Chen.
