China’s National Conversation on Pollution Has Finally Begun | Foreign Policy

China’s National Conversation on Pollution Has Finally Begun | Foreign Policy The national online discourse that took place over the weekend is the largest China has ever seen on the issue of environmental protection. Under the Dome has not only been viewed over 100 million times on Chinese streaming sites and become the most-searched term on Baidu, China’s most popular search engine; it’s also prompted an online conversation about Chai’s work. After Chai posted her documentary to Weibo, China’s massive social media platform, users shared it over 580,000 times...State media is also actively promoting Chai’s documentary in what looks like a coordinated campaign. People’s Daily not only dedicated a special feature to the film on its website but also shared it on Weibo and called for more effective governance in an op-ed supporting Chai. Even the hardline, nationalist state-run paper Global Times defended her. “Criticizing [Chai] for pointing out the problems of state-owned enterprises … is not a patriotic thing to do.”https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/03/02/chinas-national-conversation-on-pollution-has-finally-begun-chai-jing-documentary/?utm_source=The+Sinocism+China+Newsletter&utm_campaign=dfa4cbce59-Sinocism03_03_15&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_171f237867-dfa4cbce59-29615013&mc_cid=dfa4cbce59&mc_eid=5935182a65

Related: Beijing Quietly Curbs Discussion of Documentary on Air Pollution - WSJ Journalists at major Chinese print and online media outlets circulated screenshots on social media of what looked like a notice from the state-run Xinhua News Agency asking publications to refrain from using several items it had published on the documentary. Xinhua didn’t respond to a request for comment. The documentary itself remained available online, despite the sensitive nature of its topic: For one thing, it takes direct aim at the country’s state-run oil companies.

Related: Media Watch: Former Star Reporter Causes Stir with Smog Documentary - Caixin The online version of People's Daily said Chai started a necessary discussion. "It is not only an effort to provide the public with basic science about smog, but also an endeavor to reach out for efforts to address smog," it said. Bloggers have paid tribute to Chai for her efforts to raise awareness of air pollution and the harm it does to public health. Blogger He Caitou said Chai had caused social media – where links to the film and discussion of it is common – to become a platform for the public to discuss solutions to the smog problem. "To me, this is even more important than Under the Dome itself," he wrote.

Related: China's Latest Silent Spring: FON and IPE's Websites Crash after Chai Jing’s Documentary Goes Viral - China Development Brief How significant is Under the Dome? It is certainly not perfect. It does not delve deep enough into the solutions presented and their possible impact on China’s economic development. Some of the comparisons that Chai Jing makes with Western countries lack relevance because the socio-economic-political contexts are too dissimilar. Chai also does not adequately address some policy and social issues – gender issues for one being notably absent in the Friends of Nature’s cartoon (which talks about “mother in the kitchen”, see below).

Ministry plans five-year air pollution control project - Xinhua China's Ministry of Science and Technology has started planning for a five-year air pollution prevention and control project, the ministry announced on Tuesday. A draft blueprint for the project has been published on the ministry's website and the ministry is soliciting public comment. According to the draft, the focus of air pollution control in China should be shifted from simply responding to heavy smog to a coordinated scheme to prevent both PM2.5, or airborne particles measuring less than 2.5 microns in diameter, and ozone (O3). // nice timing for "Under the Dome"...I don't believe in coincidences in Chinahttp://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2015-03/03/c_134033233.htm?utm_source=The+Sinocism+China+Newsletter&utm_campaign=dfa4cbce59-Sinocism03_03_15&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_171f237867-dfa4cbce59-29615013&mc_cid=dfa4cbce59&mc_eid=5935182a65
 

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