Last Friday, I conducted an interview with Professor Qian of the School of the Environment, Nanjing University. He introduced me to a term I hadn't been familiar with previously: 生态补偿机制, translated as "eco-compensation mechanism". This seems to be a term used primarily in China, refering to the institutional allocation of the costs and benefits associated with environmental degradation, primarily through economic means. In short, the people who pollute upstream pay the people downstream who have to deal with the polluted water, compensating them for their losses. It's an environmental economist's favorite concept, and I was excited to hear Professor Qian bring it up when I asked who bears the cost of pollution control in China. However, he emphasized that these eco-compensation mechanisms are by no means widespread in China. For the most part, he said, people rely on the government. It gives me the image of little toddler manufacturers spilling whatever they want all over the kitchen floor and Mama Government coming through with a mop to clean it up. I know the issue is more complicated (Mama Government really likes the towers of flour paste and graham crackers the toddlers make, for one thing), but there really does seem to be some questionable parenting of industry taking place in China. I asked Professor Qian, could this change? Yes, he said. Slowly.
2009/11/13
2009/11/05
Announcing China Green News
China Green News
The above link takes you to a newly-launched English-language website that brings you translated environmental news from Chinese sources. The site is run by Green Earth Volunteers, one of China's indigenous environmental NGOs. Founded in 1996, the NGO is based in Beijing.
I'm excited about this website not only because it is a valuable new resource for the English-speaking environmental research community in China, but also because I volunteer as a translation proofreader. I'm a small part of a huge effort that goes forth selecting, translating, and proofreading these articles.
Hopefully, as this site develops, it will become an increasingly useful resource for all of us out there who still read English about 1,000 times faster than we read Chinese.
The above link takes you to a newly-launched English-language website that brings you translated environmental news from Chinese sources. The site is run by Green Earth Volunteers, one of China's indigenous environmental NGOs. Founded in 1996, the NGO is based in Beijing.
I'm excited about this website not only because it is a valuable new resource for the English-speaking environmental research community in China, but also because I volunteer as a translation proofreader. I'm a small part of a huge effort that goes forth selecting, translating, and proofreading these articles.
Hopefully, as this site develops, it will become an increasingly useful resource for all of us out there who still read English about 1,000 times faster than we read Chinese.
2009/10/29
to Ina
Ina, I'd love to talk to you more! Please email me at Alison.Flamm AT gmail DOT com. (Because blogging sites are blocked in the PRC it's difficult for me to communicate elaborately via my blog. :) Hope to hear from you!
--
Alison Flamm
Fulbright Fellow '09-'10
Nanjing University
Cell: 15950589625
--
Alison Flamm
Fulbright Fellow '09-'10
Nanjing University
Cell: 15950589625
2009/10/27
Interview with an Official
On October 5, 2009, I had the chance to interview Mr. Wen GaoChao. Mr. Wen is the head of the Environmental Protection Bureau in Xinyi, Jiangsu Province. He has held that position for two years.
My conversation with Mr. Wen was in no way surprising, knowing what I knew about Chinese officials.
1) They have prepared responses.
Frequently, my questions were met with neat 3- or 4-part answers. Mr. Wen could easily list the four purposes of his bureau, four areas of focus within protectionist activities, three reasons China values the environment, etc.
2) They know how to talk the talk.
Mr. Wen's words were those of someone passionate about the importance of environmental protection. Early on in the interview, he stated: "环境保护, 就是保护我们的生命线." ("Protecting the environment is protecting our lifeline.")
3) They know their strengths.
Mr. Wen emphasized the policies already in place to protect well-water, over and over again describing how manufacturing firms cannot pollute within a certain radius of a well.
4) They are abstract in addressing their weaknesses.
While I received elaborate responses to the objectives of the bureau and why Mr. Wen felt environmental protection was important, when I asked about the challenges of the bureau, he said simply that every organization encounters difficulties.
5) They never forget their bottom-line message.
Long after I finished with my questions, Mr. Wen continued to talk about the importance of environmental protection as a global struggle and the need for the U.S. to pull its weight in the effort. While I knew this was the message being sent from Chinese to American diplomats, I didn't entirely expect to be hearing it first-hand myself. But of course there was no question - every official in China knows this is the message to get across, and not a single one of them would have missed mentioning it to me.
My conversation with Mr. Wen was in no way surprising, knowing what I knew about Chinese officials.
1) They have prepared responses.
Frequently, my questions were met with neat 3- or 4-part answers. Mr. Wen could easily list the four purposes of his bureau, four areas of focus within protectionist activities, three reasons China values the environment, etc.
2) They know how to talk the talk.
Mr. Wen's words were those of someone passionate about the importance of environmental protection. Early on in the interview, he stated: "环境保护, 就是保护我们的生命线." ("Protecting the environment is protecting our lifeline.")
3) They know their strengths.
Mr. Wen emphasized the policies already in place to protect well-water, over and over again describing how manufacturing firms cannot pollute within a certain radius of a well.
4) They are abstract in addressing their weaknesses.
While I received elaborate responses to the objectives of the bureau and why Mr. Wen felt environmental protection was important, when I asked about the challenges of the bureau, he said simply that every organization encounters difficulties.
5) They never forget their bottom-line message.
Long after I finished with my questions, Mr. Wen continued to talk about the importance of environmental protection as a global struggle and the need for the U.S. to pull its weight in the effort. While I knew this was the message being sent from Chinese to American diplomats, I didn't entirely expect to be hearing it first-hand myself. But of course there was no question - every official in China knows this is the message to get across, and not a single one of them would have missed mentioning it to me.
China Daily on Rise in Birth Defects
Birth defects across country on the rise
China Daily, published September 15, 2009
This very timely article launched me into the more specific topic of my research: water pollution and the increase of birth defects in China. The article doesn't initially mention environmental causes, but instead cites better technology that allows for the identification of these defects (hence raising the recorded incidence) and the fact that women are having children later.
China Daily, published September 15, 2009
This very timely article launched me into the more specific topic of my research: water pollution and the increase of birth defects in China. The article doesn't initially mention environmental causes, but instead cites better technology that allows for the identification of these defects (hence raising the recorded incidence) and the fact that women are having children later.
It goes on to quote Ren Aiguo, director of the reproductive health institute at Peking University: "Chemical and toxic emissions impact the health of the parents, so it is likely they also impact the health of an unborn baby." Still, the focus of the article is not on environmental causes, which makes me think this is an area of research ripe for further exploration.
2009/10/25
2004 NYT Article: Cancer Villages
Rivers Run Black, and Chinese Die of Cancer
by Jim Yardley with reporting contributed by Chris Buckley.
The article discusses a small village located nearby a stream off of the Huai River, one of the most polluted in China. It describes some of the people in this village who have become sick, in many cases with cancer, due to exposure to contaminated water.
With regard to governmental action, the article states: "The central government promotes big solutions but gives regulators little power to enforce them. Local officials have few incentives to crack down on polluters because their promotion system is based primarily on economic growth, not public health."
Economic growth is extremely important for the well-being of the Chinese people, and the government is right to value it and reward its promotion. However, while Chinese people value their economic well-being, they value their health as well. (There are researchers attempting to calculate a concrete valuation of health and life in China, which I'll get into at another time.) There is a balance to be struck, and it will not be struck correctly if the system in place rewards promotion of one but not the other. It will also never be struck unless the true health costs of pollution are known. (And, on the flip side, unless the true economic costs of environmental conservation are known.) This provides the motivation for my research on these health costs.
by Jim Yardley with reporting contributed by Chris Buckley.
This article, originally published in the New York Times in September 12, 2004, paints a picture of the larger issue I'm interested in.
The article discusses a small village located nearby a stream off of the Huai River, one of the most polluted in China. It describes some of the people in this village who have become sick, in many cases with cancer, due to exposure to contaminated water.
With regard to governmental action, the article states: "The central government promotes big solutions but gives regulators little power to enforce them. Local officials have few incentives to crack down on polluters because their promotion system is based primarily on economic growth, not public health."
Economic growth is extremely important for the well-being of the Chinese people, and the government is right to value it and reward its promotion. However, while Chinese people value their economic well-being, they value their health as well. (There are researchers attempting to calculate a concrete valuation of health and life in China, which I'll get into at another time.) There is a balance to be struck, and it will not be struck correctly if the system in place rewards promotion of one but not the other. It will also never be struck unless the true health costs of pollution are known. (And, on the flip side, unless the true economic costs of environmental conservation are known.) This provides the motivation for my research on these health costs.
Kick-Starting This Site
Due to difficulties accessing Blogger and generally not staying on top of my game, this site has failed to be launched. May this post be the first of many to come!
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