2017年CRI Political advisors propose exploring new industries to fight smog

 

This year's session of China's top political advisory¹ body, the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, or CPPCC, is drawing to a close.

One of the hot topics for this year has been environmentalism, and particularly how to tackle the smog problem in some of China's major cities.

Experts believe the issue is intimately entwined with industrial restructuring.

CRI's reporter at this year's session Liu Kun has more.

CPPCC member Chi Fulin is currently the President of the China Institute for Reform and Development. For him, tackling the smog issue in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area means a change from reliance on heavy industry to exploring possibilities of growth.

"The most important thing is that we need to develop new industries. For example, we need a lot of people to work in the healthcare industry at the moment. So we need to explore new industries in economic transformation², to enable those who have lost their job to work in the service sector³ by giving them skills training opportunities."

The Chinese central government introduced the strategy of integrating the capital Beijing and its neighboring Tianjin and Hebei provinces in early 2014, for the purpose of diffusing⁴ the non-political functions of Beijing, and promoting coordinated⁵ development.

Among the several environmental problems plaguing all three places, smog is arguably the one that grabs most attention in the public's eyes.

Pollutants⁶ from power generation and industrial emissions⁷ are widely considered as the main culprits for air pollution in the region. Local governments are struggling to find a balance between closing down heavy industry factories for cleaner air and maintaining growth and employment.

Chi says cutting down heavy industry will create unemployment, but says sometimes it's better to just rip off the plaster and concentrate on the long-term benefits.

"So the Chinese economy is now at a critical juncture⁸ of transformation. At this point, short-term pain is inevitable⁹. We should focus more on trying to find solutions for mid¹⁰ and long term growth and to inject new power into the economy. This should be the right direction."

Dr. Qi Ye is director of the Brookings-Tsinghua Center for Public Policy and a leading expert on China's environmental policy. He says the old way of moving heavy industries out of Beijing and into Hebei is not the solution. Instead, he suggests Hebei should tap into new-types of agriculture as the market potential is huge for this densely¹¹ populated area and food safety has always been a concern.

"In the past, in the last three decades, we have seen a major shift from agriculture to industry. That created a lot of pollution problems. I think moving back to agriculture — I am not talking about moving back to the traditional agriculture, rather, to agriculture with high technology, high quality and safe food. I think that is a very important direction to go."

In his 2017 government work report, Chinese Premier¹² Li Keqiang pledged new goals in the fight against air pollution.

"We will make our skies blue again. This year will see the sulfur¹³ dioxide and nitrogen oxide¹⁴ emissions both cut by 3 per cent and a significant drop of PM2.5 density¹⁵ in heavily polluted areas."

Both Chi Fulin and Qi Ye believe that the integration¹⁶ of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei means more opportunities for the fight against smog. Chi Fulin particularly pointed¹⁷ out that it has been written in the government plan in 2015 that the three places will implement¹⁸ unified¹⁹ entry-and-exit environmental standards for industrial corporations.

Statistics from the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau show that for 2016 the average PM2.5 index for 13 major cities in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei was 71 micrograms per cubic meter, down by 33% from three years ago.

For CRI, this is Liu Kun.

1 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

2 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

3 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

4 diffusing   

（使光）模糊，漫射，漫散( diffuse的现在分词 )； （使）扩散； （使）弥漫； （使）传播

参考例句：

• Compounding this confusion is a diffusing definition of journalist. 新闻和娱乐的掺和扩散了“记者”定义。
• Diffusing phenomena also so, after mix cannot spontaneous separating. 扩散现象也如此，混合之后不能自发的分开。

5 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

6 pollutants   

污染物质（尤指工业废物）( pollutant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Pollutants are constantly being released into the atmosphere. 污染物质正在不断地被排放到大气中去。
• The 1987 Amendments limit 301(g) discharges to a few well-studied nonconventional pollutants. 1987年的修正案把第301条（g）的普通排放限制施加在一些认真研究过的几种非常规污染物上。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

7 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

8 juncture   

n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头

参考例句：

• The project is situated at the juncture of the new and old urban districts.该项目位于新老城区交界处。
• It is very difficult at this juncture to predict the company's future.此时很难预料公司的前景。

9 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

10 mid   

adj.中央的，中间的

参考例句：

• Our mid-term exam is pending.我们就要期中考试了。
• He switched over to teaching in mid-career.他在而立之年转入教学工作。

11 densely   

ad.密集地；浓厚地

参考例句：

• A grove of trees shadowed the house densely. 树丛把这幢房子遮蔽得很密实。
• We passed through miles of densely wooded country. 我们穿过好几英里茂密的林地。

12 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

13 sulfur   

n.硫，硫磺（=sulphur）

参考例句：

• Sulfur emissions from steel mills become acid rain.炼钢厂排放出的硫形成了酸雨。
• Burning may produce sulfur oxides.燃烧可能会产生硫氧化物。

14 oxide   

n.氧化物

参考例句：

• Oxide is usually seen in our daily life.在我们的日常生活中氧化物很常见。
• How can you get rid of this oxide coating?你们该怎样除去这些氧化皮？

15 density   

n.密集，密度，浓度

参考例句：

• The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
• The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。

16 integration   

n.一体化，联合，结合

参考例句：

• We are working to bring about closer political integration in the EU.我们正在努力实现欧盟內部更加紧密的政治一体化。
• This was the greatest event in the annals of European integration.这是欧洲统一史上最重大的事件。

17 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

18 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

19 unified   

(unify 的过去式和过去分词)； 统一的； 统一标准的； 一元化的

参考例句：

• The teacher unified the answer of her pupil with hers. 老师核对了学生的答案。
• The First Emperor of Qin unified China in 221 B.C. 秦始皇于公元前221年统一中国。