NYU Global Engagement SymposiumDivina Li & Emily Liu

The Long March: Media and Environmental Awareness in China

What We Will Cover

1. What we learned from our study abroad experience.

2. The role media plays and how the public uses social media to demand change.

3. How the government delivers.

Studying Abroad in China - Fall Semester 2014

Air Quality

Merging Digital Media and Environmental Policy

“While state control of pollution violators has been difficult… Chinese citizens play an important role in pressuring firms into compliance.”

- Benjamin Van Rooij

● Mass media under strict political control.

● Focuses on politically safe stories such as global warming and animal protection.

● Leaves out coverage on issues of rural and disadvantaged populations.

Under the Dome - Chai Jing

2:57

“The kids don’t see stars anymore.”

Statistic from Chai Jing’s documentary

1. 500,000 people die of air pollution in China every year.

2. Beijing’s PM 2.5 level is 5x that of China’s average.

3. Levels are 25x higher during the winter than summer.

4. It is the poor who suffer the most.

The Media’s Role“But I always thought it was only called pollution when I heard explosions in mines. It was only called pollution when I saw smoke from factory chimneys…”

“...I never thought that for those of us who lived in a

metropolitan city center, the sky we saw everyday was also

pollution.”

What the Public Can Do

Declare more transparency from the government regarding air quality data.

Participate in public forums.

Use social media.

“Even the most powerful government in the world can’t

control pollution.”

Power of the Web

“What we say here is unofficial. Hence bolder and less reserved. Only through this free Internet can we publish freely in an environment.”

-Weibo commentator

<- Conversation between taxi driver and radio station

Invisible hotel sign ->

The Government and the People

Chinese citizens have:

- sued chemical plants responsible for polluting their waters

- petitioned local and national government officials, going

all the way to Beijing

- organized mass demonstrations against pollution

- Filed complaints with the Environmental Protection

Bureau (call 12369!)

“I hope with enough dedication and hard work, we can keep our APEC blue.

- Xi Jinping

Government’s Response● Offering $1.65 billion to cities who

lower smog levels.

● Crackdown on local governments

● EPB Hotline available to the public: 12369

● Reforming old environmental laws.

● Established largest online monitoring network in the world.

● Multiple bureaucratic offices to manage emissions

HOWEVER...

Is this enough?

Thank You for Listening!

BibliographyAn, Melissa. "Public's Response." Air Pollution in China. Dartmouth University, 2014. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

Chai, Jing. "Sina Weibo User - ChaiJingKanJian." Sina Weibo. Sina Weibo, n.d. Web. <http://weibo.com/chaijingkanjian>.

Mufson, Steven. "This Documentary Went Viral in China. Then It Was Censored. It Won’t Be Forgotten." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 16 Mar. 2015. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

Rooij, Benjamin Van. "The People vs. Pollution: Understanding Citizen Action against Pollution in China." Journal of Contemporary China 19.63 (2010): 55-77. Web.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6X2uwlQGQM