My vision for a smog-free China
By eddieturkson (chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2016-03-10 16:11My suggestion
So what’s my suggestion? I suggest that a single day in each week should be devoted nationwide or in hot-spot areas to mitigating the problem. Out of 365 (366 in a leap year) days in a year, a single day for example Monday in a week doubles up to at least 53 (52 days in a leap year) days. That’s at least 52-53 days of adhering to activities that limit the emission of manmade substances that causes increase in pm2.5 matter- call it the National Anti-Pollution Day or Smog-Free Day. It could be voluntary or statutory, any which way freedom from smog must come.
It could impact on the profitability of big companies but hey, that’s the opportunity cost of having a smog-free nation. Just like Europe and some states in the US did during the industrial revolution, China should take firm and continual measures in protecting the environment.
The Deputy Head of the China Research Academy of Environmental Sciences Chai Fahe at a seminar in February, 2016 called for ‘extra strict’ regulations to reduce pollutant emissions. I think my suggestion could pass as an ‘extra strict’ efficient and effective regulation if it hasn’t already been tabled.
In all, there are around 74 major domestic cities that have been highlighted in the country as prone to heavy smog with major hot-spots in Northern and Central China so if these cities for example could adopt a single day every week and observe that day as an anti-pollution day I think achieving the government set target of reducing pollution by 40 percent from 2013 level by 2020 wouldn’t be an improbable achievement.
Undeniably, a lot is been done in major capitals like Beijing and Tianjin. Over 716 enterprises considered as major polluters have been evicted from Beijing. The city has rejected 13,000 industrial and commercial registrations. It is building a one-hour city transportation circle as part of a green transportation model to ease traffic jams and pollution- and I’m sure that would be replicated in other smog-hot-spots.
In short, it is my hope that the administrative sub-center plan to be rolled out by the government, based on standards for an international first class, harmonious and habitable metropolis would take into consideration a national anti-pollution day to be observed once every week.
The original blog is at: http://blog.chinadaily.com.cn/blog-1825133-35013.html
I’ve lived in China for quite a considerable time including my graduate school years, travelled and worked in a few cities and still choose my destination taking into consideration the density of smog or PM2.5 particulate matter in the region.
