Jan
28
By Paolo von Schirach
January 28, 2012
WASHINGTON – “The truth is always revolutionary“, wrote Antonio Gramsci, (1891-1937), Italian Communist Party leader and revered Marxist intellectual. If this is so, somehow the heirs of the Chinese Revolution are not always favoring ”revolutionary truth”. For political expediency they often prefer to obfuscate the truth. That said, what does it mean when the careful gate keepers of the truth decide to stop their foot dragging and let at least some of the facts out in the open?
Beijing’s air pollution
An interesting case study is provided by Beijing air pollution, a huge problem affecting the quality of life of millions of Chinese. China has some of the worst urban pollution in the world, the result of fast development, lack of environmental standards for industrial production and widespread use of coal as the major energy source for power generation.
Well, how bad is air pollution in Beijing? The official data used to paint a benign picture, with “good” air quality reading most of the time. But this was because the authorities were using their own PM 10 metrics which measure only larger particles, and not the accepted international measurements that count PM 2.5, or particulate matters under 2.5 microns in diameter. Using the standard international metric, Beijing’s air quality is foul most of the time. What the authorities call “fog” or “haze” is in fact very unhealthy, heavy smog.
Chinese metrics hid the facts
A while ago, some Beijing residents figured out this clever scam of hiding the truth by providing only reading of large particulate matter. In this they were aided in part by the US Embassy in Beijing. The Embassy regularly tweets its own air quality readings based on the accepted PM 2.5 measurements. The authorities did not like the Embassy independent monitoring one bit. In fact they resented it and called it unfriendly.
The truth may be revolutionary; but apparently not always welcome by the heirs of the Revolution. However, the pressure to disclose real readings kept building up. Pan Shiyi, a well known real estate tycoon, got behind this cause, fostering a public opinion movement that demanded accurate measurements and the release of data that would reflect actual air quality.
The new metrics show a huge pollution problem
In the end the authorities relented and decided to adopt the recognized international standard, even though this means letting everyone know how bad Beijing’s air pollution really is. As Caixin Online, a Chinese publication, put it:
“Beijing municipal officials for the first time released their air quality readings on January 21, following months of public outcry over heavy haze that sometimes blanketed the nation’s capital and shut down air flights.
The Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center on January 21 announced that it has set up a new monitoring station for tracking “PM 2.5,” or particular matter under 2.5 microns in diameter, at its Chegongzhuang site. The center is publishing the readings on its website http：//www.bjmemc.com.cn.
For months, the phrase “PM 2.5″ has been a hot topic on forums and microblogs, after thick smog descended on the nation’s capital in October, prompting Beijing officials to cancel hundreds of flights and shut down a few major highways.
At the time, the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau said the air was “slightly polluted” , while PM 2.5 data from the U.S Embassy in Beijing revealed the air quality was “extremely dangerous.” Chinese officials dismissed the bouts of haze as “fog,” but at the same time warned residents to stay indoors. They also declined to release PM 2.5 data, saying that the technology to give accurate readings was not adequately developed.
In the midst of public pressure, however, cities like Qingdao, Dalian, Shanghai and Tianjin vowed to publish their local PM 2.5 readings starting in 2012.
“The important thing is not to simply publicize the figures,” Beijing-based environmental protection NGO Green Beagle researcher Wang Qiuxia told China Daily, “but also to reduce the amount of pollutants being released.”
Particles under 2.5 microns can have a significant impact on air quality and visibility, while also causing harm after traveling deep into the respiratory tract into the lungs”.
Public pressure forced change. An isolated case?
This”PM 2.5″ story is an interesting example in which sustained public pressure forced the authorities to come clean and finally start honest reporting of critical information affecting public health. It will be interesting to see if this is just an isolated case or not. Will transparency be adopted in other spheres that affect the public welfare? Stay tuned. The way the authorities will handle similar issues in the future will tell us a lot about the evolution of the Communist Party.
How will the authorities deal with air pollution?
In the meantime, now the cat is out of the bag regarding dangerous pollution levels that can no longer be kept hidden. Now all residents know that Beijing’s air quality is really lousy. This is the “revolutionary truth” out in the open. However, now that everyone knows the facts, how will the authorities go about fixing this truly gigantic air pollution problem? During the Olympics they shut down industrial plants and curbed auto circulation. Yet this was only a temporary measure. Improving air quality so that it will no longer be a semi-permanent health hazard will be very complicated. It will require a sustained effort and it will be very expensive.
That said, telling the truth is a sign of wisdom; even though the consequences of “revolutionary reality” will be onerous, and probably unwelcome for policy-makers.
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