en_US.srt

1
00:00:02,660 --> 00:00:05,860
This graph shows the Beijing PM2.5 index during January 2013

2
00:00:05,860 --> 00:00:08,580
In just one month, there were 25 days of smog

3
00:00:08,580 --> 00:00:12,460
I was in Beijing at that time, and as I looked back on this graph over the course of the year

4
00:00:12,460 --> 00:00:14,580
I tried to recall the senses and emotions

5
00:00:15,580 --> 00:00:16,860
But I couldn't

6
00:00:16,860 --> 00:00:21,620
At that time everyone said the haze was caused by random weather patterns

7
00:00:21,620 --> 00:00:23,180
Hardly anyone took it seriously

8
00:00:23,180 --> 00:00:25,140
In that month, I made four business trips

9
00:00:25,140 --> 00:00:28,540
To Shaanxi, Henan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang

10
00:00:29,220 --> 00:00:31,260
Looking back at the sky of these trips

11
00:00:31,260 --> 00:00:36,580
it seems like China at that time was immersed in smog, blanketing 25 provinces and 600 million people

12
00:00:36,580 --> 00:00:39,100
I was right in the middle of it, but I didn't even realize it

13
00:00:39,420 --> 00:00:41,260
But the sensation in my throat remained

14
00:00:41,260 --> 00:00:43,580
When I was in Xi'an, I was coughing so badly that I couldn't even sleep

15
00:00:43,580 --> 00:00:46,500
so I cut up a lemon and put it beside my pillow

16
00:00:47,260 --> 00:00:50,300
When I returned to Beijing, I discovered that I was pregnant

17
00:00:51,540 --> 00:00:53,380
This is what she looked like the first time I saw her

18
00:00:54,380 --> 00:00:58,580
At that moment, I knew she must be a girl, because it looked like she had a girl's haircut

19
00:01:00,060 --> 00:01:05,100
When I heard her heartbeat for the first time, there was nothing I wanted more than for her to be healthy

20
00:01:06,300 --> 00:01:08,220
But

21
00:01:09,060 --> 00:01:13,180
she was diagnosed with a benign tumor, which would require surgery immediately after birth

22
00:01:13,780 --> 00:01:16,860
Before the anaesthesia, the doctor told me

23
00:01:16,860 --> 00:01:20,420
"Your baby is so young that there is a possibility she won't survive the general anaesthetic.

24
00:01:21,420 --> 00:01:23,260
You need to be mentally prepared for it."

25
00:01:24,940 --> 00:01:29,140
Before I could even hold her, she was carried off to the operating room

26
00:01:30,020 --> 00:01:35,740
After that, the nurse gave me this toy bear which she used to comfort children

27
00:01:35,740 --> 00:01:37,780
Instead, she used it to comfort me

28
00:01:38,060 --> 00:01:40,660
When I saw my daughter after the surgery, she was still unconscious

29
00:01:40,660 --> 00:01:42,500
The doctor said,

30
00:01:42,500 --> 00:01:46,460
"The operation was very successful. But there is one thing you have to forgive me for:

31
00:01:46,460 --> 00:01:52,140
She is so chubby that it took several attempts to find a vein for the anesthetic."

32
00:01:55,060 --> 00:01:57,940
I took her tiny hand, full of needle marks, and I held it to my face

33
00:01:57,940 --> 00:02:02,300
I called her name until, she opened her eyes and looked at me

34
00:02:04,620 --> 00:02:06,740
I'm a very lucky person

35
00:02:07,420 --> 00:02:11,260
After that, I quit my job so I could spend my time keeping her company and looking after her

36
00:02:11,260 --> 00:02:14,060
As long as we were all together, safe and sound, nothing else mattered

37
00:02:15,420 --> 00:02:19,940
But already on our way home from the hospital, I started to feel scared

38
00:02:19,940 --> 00:02:22,460
The smell of black smoke and burning fire was everywhere

39
00:02:22,460 --> 00:02:24,460
I covered her nose with my handkerchief

40
00:02:24,460 --> 00:02:27,700
I know it seems stupid, since in her struggle to breathe through it, she would just inhale more smog

41
00:02:28,860 --> 00:02:32,980
Before that moment, I'd never been afraid of air pollution and I'd never worn a filter mask

42
00:02:32,980 --> 00:02:39,140
But now, there is a little life in your arms, her breathing, eating and drinking are all on your shoulders

43
00:02:39,140 --> 00:02:40,860
That's when you begin to feel afraid

44
00:02:40,860 --> 00:02:43,060
That severe smog at the end of 2013 lasted about two months

45
00:02:43,060 --> 00:02:47,540
The continuous smog made me feel like it wasn't just random and that it couldn't possibly be over quickly

46
00:02:47,540 --> 00:02:50,260
It was the same as a sky I saw ten years ago, in Shanxi

47
00:03:01,730 --> 00:03:03,360
2004 interview

48
00:03:03,540 --> 00:03:05,100
Chai: "Is it like this every day?"

49
00:03:05,100 --> 00:03:09,740
Boy: "Every day of every year, it's like this! It's lasted for three years now, not just a day or two."

50
00:03:10,540 --> 00:03:15,380
"Benzopyrene is a powerful carcinogen. As time goes on, it accumulates in one's body

51
00:03:15,380 --> 00:03:18,260
Once enough of it accumulates, it increases a person's risk of getting cancer."

52
00:03:18,260 --> 00:03:22,340
Rivers in Shanxi: 88.4% are polluted, 62% are no longer usable

53
00:03:22,340 --> 00:03:23,980
Chai: "Sir, do you think this is still a river?"

54
00:03:23,980 --> 00:03:25,460
Wang: "It's not river water, it's wastewater.

55
00:03:25,460 --> 00:03:30,180
Tests show that the annual average benzopyrene level here is 290 times above the regulatory limit."

56
00:03:30,180 --> 00:03:33,540
Abandoned mining area: Ground water levels have fallen; environmental crisis is imminent

57
00:03:33,540 --> 00:03:37,180
Person: "All of the trees over there died. Those two big trees there have completely split open."

58
00:03:45,300 --> 00:03:47,700
Chai: "Have you ever seen a real star before?"

59
00:03:47,700 --> 00:03:49,380
Wang Huiqing: "No, I haven't."

60
00:03:50,020 --> 00:03:52,220
What about blue sky?

61
00:03:52,220 --> 00:03:54,340
I've seen one that's a little blue

62
00:03:54,340 --> 00:03:56,700
What about white clouds?

63
00:03:56,700 --> 00:03:58,820
No, I haven't.

64
00:04:01,580 --> 00:04:04,980
When I interviewed this six-year-old girl in 2004,

65
00:04:04,980 --> 00:04:11,140
it didn't cross my mind at all, that what she said could be the same experience my daughter would have

66
00:04:12,900 --> 00:04:16,340
These photos show each day of 2014 in Beijing

67
00:04:16,340 --> 00:04:19,380
Only when the air quality was good would I dare take my daughter outside with me

68
00:04:19,380 --> 00:04:21,060
But how many good days were there?

69
00:04:22,860 --> 00:04:24,540
175 were polluted

70
00:04:24,540 --> 00:04:30,220
That means that in one year, half of the time I had no choice but to keep her at home like a prisoner

71
00:04:30,220 --> 00:04:33,349
Ten years ago, the director of the Environmental Protection Bureau told me

72
00:04:33,349 --> 00:04:36,140
"Xiaoyi is a microcosm of Shanxi; Shanxi is a microcosm of China."

73
00:04:36,140 --> 00:04:39,660
In just a decade, I've looked on helplessly as this has come true

74
00:04:40,040 --> 00:04:43,020
In March-April 2014

75
00:04:43,140 --> 00:04:46,500
46 photographers

76
00:04:46,500 --> 00:04:50,900
recorded images of the sky for 40 consecutive days

77
00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:56,960
Tianjin - 197 polluted days in 2014

78
00:04:56,960 --> 00:05:02,600
Shenyang - 152 polluted days in 2014

79
00:05:02,640 --> 00:05:06,300
Chengdu - 125 polluted days in 2014

80
00:05:06,300 --> 00:05:09,220
Lanzhou - 112 polluted days in 2014

81
00:05:09,220 --> 00:05:14,760
Shijiazhuang - 264 polluted days in 2014

82
00:05:19,940 --> 00:05:22,980
I once watched a TV series called "Under the Dome"

83
00:05:22,980 --> 00:05:26,340
It was about a small town suddenly enclosed by a dome that appeared out of nowhere

84
00:05:26,340 --> 00:05:29,420
Cut off from the world, no way out

85
00:05:29,420 --> 00:05:31,860
But one day, I realized that we're all living in the same reality

86
00:05:32,740 --> 00:05:34,328
Sometimes, when I get up in the morning

87
00:05:34,328 --> 00:05:37,220
I see my daughter standing at our balcony window, smacking on the glass

88
00:05:37,220 --> 00:05:39,660
This is her way of telling me that she wants to go outside

89
00:05:39,980 --> 00:05:41,180
I think, one day, she will ask me

90
00:05:41,900 --> 00:05:43,980
Mama, why do you keep me shut inside?

91
00:05:44,300 --> 00:05:45,220
What is really out there?

92
00:05:45,260 --> 00:05:46,420
Will anything hurt me?

93
00:05:47,100 --> 00:05:51,580
Everything I have done throughout this year is to answer the questions she will ask me in the future

94
00:05:51,580 --> 00:05:52,923
What is smog?

95
00:05:52,920 --> 00:05:54,174
Where does it come from?

96
00:05:54,174 --> 00:05:55,960
What can we do about it?

97
00:05:56,500 --> 00:05:57,460
So, what is the smog?

98
00:06:00,620 --> 00:06:02,200
Sometimes, I turn off the light

99
00:06:02,980 --> 00:06:07,300
I want to see it, I know the PM2.5 is there

100
00:06:07,300 --> 00:06:10,380
They're airborne particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers

101
00:06:11,420 --> 00:06:14,060
So they reflect a large amount of visible light

102
00:06:14,060 --> 00:06:16,860
leaving us in a world with very low visibility

103
00:06:16,860 --> 00:06:22,820
However, I can't see them because the smallest particle the naked eye can see is twenty times bigger

104
00:06:22,820 --> 00:06:25,300
In other words, this is a war against an invisible enemy

105
00:06:26,420 --> 00:06:29,340
There's only one way to see them

106
00:06:29,340 --> 00:06:30,140
It's this

107
00:06:30,180 --> 00:06:32,380
This is a PM2.5 sampling device

108
00:06:33,220 --> 00:06:36,060
I put a very clean sampling filter into the machine

109
00:06:36,060 --> 00:06:38,140
and carried it for 24 hours

110
00:06:38,980 --> 00:06:42,400
November 26th, 2014 - Air Quality Index: 282

111
00:06:46,100 --> 00:06:48,500
This is what the filter looked like at the very beginning, right?

112
00:06:48,500 --> 00:06:51,460
After 24 hours it looked like this

113
00:06:52,020 --> 00:06:56,740
If I don't do anything to protect my child she will breathe in all of this stuff

114
00:06:56,740 --> 00:06:57,780
How much will she breathe in?

115
00:06:59,100 --> 00:07:01,620
305.91 micrograms per cubic meter

116
00:07:01,620 --> 00:07:04,020
But who can understand a number like this, right?

117
00:07:04,020 --> 00:07:04,940
We can only compare it

118
00:07:04,940 --> 00:07:06,980
This is the WHO standard for maximum PM2.5 per day

119
00:07:06,980 --> 00:07:08,620
This is the standard in the United States

120
00:07:08,620 --> 00:07:10,180
This is the standard in Europe

121
00:07:10,180 --> 00:07:11,940
and this is the standard in China

122
00:07:11,940 --> 00:07:14,460
How much did we breathe in on that day?

123
00:07:15,100 --> 00:07:17,460
Almost 5 times China's maximum limit

124
00:07:18,020 --> 00:07:20,916
Although it sounds like that was just one slightly alarming number

125
00:07:20,916 --> 00:07:23,900
I really wanted to know what substances were actually in that sample

126
00:07:23,900 --> 00:07:27,700
Prof. Qiu Xinhua from Peking University was kind enough to run this test for me

127
00:07:27,700 --> 00:07:29,100
Here are the results of his analysis:

128
00:07:29,100 --> 00:07:34,740
It contains 15 types of carcinogens including benzo[a]pyrene, one of the world's strongest carcinogens

129
00:07:34,740 --> 00:07:36,100
How many times the standard was there?

130
00:07:37,500 --> 00:07:39,540
14 times

131
00:07:39,540 --> 00:07:41,220
I couldn't believe this number

132
00:07:41,220 --> 00:07:44,620
Do you remember, in that clip, when I was standing in Xiaoyi, surrounded by coal plants?

133
00:07:44,620 --> 00:07:49,420
The amount of Benzo[a]pyrene I was breathing there was only 9 times the legal standard

134
00:07:49,420 --> 00:07:51,460
Nowadays, I live in the center of an international metropolis

135
00:07:51,460 --> 00:07:54,300
When I look around, I can't see a single factory or chimney

136
00:07:54,300 --> 00:07:57,140
So how can it possibly be 14 times the legal limit?

137
00:07:57,140 --> 00:07:58,620
Professor Qiu doubted the results too

138
00:07:58,620 --> 00:08:01,220
He said "It doesn't seem possible to be that high. I'll run it again."

139
00:08:01,900 --> 00:08:04,340
He called me the next day and told me: "No mistakes - it is 14 times the limit.

140
00:08:05,100 --> 00:08:08,380
Our wider sampling showed there are some people whose exposure was even higher - 20 times the limit."

141
00:08:09,540 --> 00:08:13,504
All these carcinogens were stuck to the sampling filter you saw before

142
00:08:13,504 --> 00:08:15,940
attached to a substance called black carbon

143
00:08:15,940 --> 00:08:18,420
It's tiny, only 0.2 micrometers

144
00:08:18,420 --> 00:08:25,660
But it has a chain structure, so if it's unraveled, two grams is the size of a basketball court

145
00:08:25,660 --> 00:08:29,300
Because of this, it can absorb many carcinogens and heavy metal particles

146
00:08:29,300 --> 00:08:32,620
How much black carbon is there in China?

147
00:08:32,620 --> 00:08:36,180
This is NASA's estimate from 2009

148
00:08:38,740 --> 00:08:41,900
That bright purple and white spot is China

149
00:08:41,900 --> 00:08:46,420
It drifts above us like a ghost

150
00:08:46,420 --> 00:08:49,940
So I went to Peking University, I know that they have a lab for these experiments

151
00:08:49,940 --> 00:08:52,540
I asked an expert if I could volunteer

152
00:08:52,540 --> 00:08:54,980
"If you put me in a closed chamber with a high concentration of black carbon

153
00:08:54,980 --> 00:08:57,980
and observe and test my physical reactions, I can show everyone the results."

154
00:08:57,980 --> 00:09:00,020
He hesitated for a while and answered

155
00:09:00,020 --> 00:09:02,300
"I'm sorry. I cannot do this experiment."

156
00:09:02,300 --> 00:09:03,740
I asked why.

157
00:09:03,740 --> 00:09:07,580
He said, "Every experiment requires academic ethical thresholds.

158
00:09:07,580 --> 00:09:11,820
The thresholds should prevent extreme harm to the participants.

159
00:09:11,820 --> 00:09:14,345
I cannot run an experiment with these thresholds

160
00:09:14,345 --> 00:09:18,660
even if the concentration in the air outdoors is higher than in the test chamber."

161
00:09:18,660 --> 00:09:25,980
To put it another way, each of us is living our entire life in an experiment chamber

162
00:09:25,980 --> 00:09:27,900
and we don't know what the outcome will be

163
00:09:27,900 --> 00:09:30,460
Peking University used a different approach

164
00:09:30,460 --> 00:09:33,700
They logged how people physically react to polluted air directly

165
00:09:33,700 --> 00:09:37,140
For one year, I participated in this experiment

166
00:09:37,180 --> 00:09:38,540
This is what I found:

167
00:09:38,540 --> 00:09:41,460
I have chronic respiratory inflammation and belong to a sensitive population group

168
00:09:41,460 --> 00:09:45,302
Fine particles impact the respiratory system, exacerbate inflammation of the respiratory tract

169
00:09:45,302 --> 00:09:47,060
and affect the entire cardiovascular system

170
00:09:47,060 --> 00:09:50,180
Tiny particles correlate with a higher chance of heart failure due to reduced cardiac blood supply

171
00:09:50,180 --> 00:09:53,300
I don't really understand what the medical jargon means

172
00:09:53,300 --> 00:09:57,300
Therefore, with the help of the scientists, we made an animation to explain the effect

173
00:09:58,060 --> 00:10:00,060
I am PM 2.5

174
00:10:00,060 --> 00:10:02,100
I have lots of brothers and sisters

175
00:10:02,100 --> 00:10:05,420
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and other heavy metal particles

176
00:10:05,420 --> 00:10:07,620
Each of us bearing weapons

177
00:10:08,980 --> 00:10:12,020
In the game of attacking human bodies

178
00:10:12,900 --> 00:10:14,260
I rarely miss

179
00:10:15,140 --> 00:10:17,020
Scene 1: Nostril

180
00:10:17,420 --> 00:10:20,540
Nose hairs and mucus can block large particles

181
00:10:20,540 --> 00:10:25,820
90% of particles are bigger than 10 microns and are stopped in their tracks

182
00:10:25,820 --> 00:10:26,860
But they cannot stop me

183
00:10:27,620 --> 00:10:29,220
Scene 2: Throat

184
00:10:30,580 --> 00:10:33,323
The upper respiratory tract has cilia that are only 10 microns long

185
00:10:33,323 --> 00:10:35,780
beating 20 times a second, but I pass through them with ease

186
00:10:35,780 --> 00:10:38,356
The smooth muscles of the trachea become irritated

187
00:10:38,356 --> 00:10:41,500
they contract and try to block me, but this bullying can't stop me

188
00:10:41,500 --> 00:10:43,500
Scene 3: Lower respiratory tract

189
00:10:43,700 --> 00:10:47,700
Here the bronchi branch out like a tree into small bronchioles

190
00:10:47,700 --> 00:10:49,260
These are the best ski slopes for us

191
00:10:52,300 --> 00:10:56,500
We fight with leukocytes and lymphocytes along the way

192
00:10:56,500 --> 00:10:59,660
These fights will cause all kinds of inflammation in the human body

193
00:11:00,260 --> 00:11:05,380
Our troops finally reach our destination: the tree-tip like alveoli

194
00:11:06,300 --> 00:11:08,900
The human lung has more than 300 million alveoli

195
00:11:08,900 --> 00:11:13,780
If we block the alveoli, the human won't be able to breathe anymore

196
00:11:13,780 --> 00:11:16,780
However, our most ferocious enemy is here: the macrophages

197
00:11:17,780 --> 00:11:22,100
Their specialty is gobbling up foreign material, and they are known as the body's street sweepers

198
00:11:22,460 --> 00:11:24,420
This is going to be a tough battle

199
00:11:35,180 --> 00:11:36,500
However, we outnumber them

200
00:11:37,020 --> 00:11:41,460
our core is difficult to break down, and and we contain toxic heavy metals

201
00:11:41,700 --> 00:11:46,340
Macrophages cannot kill all of us, and die easily from over-consumption

202
00:11:46,900 --> 00:11:49,220
This is how the human immune system breaks down

203
00:11:50,580 --> 00:11:54,940
We also have special forces: particles less than 0.5 microns

204
00:11:54,940 --> 00:11:59,940
Once in the alveoli, they are small enough to pass the membranes into blood vessels

205
00:11:59,940 --> 00:12:04,500
which causes high blood pressure and thrombosis

206
00:12:05,580 --> 00:12:11,460
We can even enter the core of human bodies through the pulmonary circulation system

207
00:12:11,860 --> 00:12:18,060
and attack your heart, causing myocardial ischemia and irregular heartbeat

208
00:12:18,060 --> 00:12:19,780
which leads to heart attacks

209
00:12:21,780 --> 00:12:24,020
Be terrified, humans

210
00:12:24,260 --> 00:12:27,620
We're in every breath you take

211
00:12:31,140 --> 00:12:34,180
These measurements were provided by the Chinese Academy of Sciences

212
00:12:34,180 --> 00:12:38,647
This complex graph demonstrates that as the concentration of PM2.5 increases

213
00:12:38,647 --> 00:12:40,940
the human mortality rate also increases

214
00:12:40,940 --> 00:12:43,580
Many other scientific research institutions have observed the same trend

215
00:12:43,580 --> 00:12:48,020
The former Chinese health minister Chen Zhu has calculated that the number

216
00:12:48,020 --> 00:12:52,660
of premature deaths caused by air pollution in China each year is

217
00:12:54,260 --> 00:12:55,660
500,000 people

218
00:12:55,740 --> 00:12:57,676
In this battle against human beings

219
00:12:57,676 --> 00:13:01,660
the most fragile and vulnerable populations are our children and parents

220
00:13:02,660 --> 00:13:04,860
These babies are about 2 months old

221
00:13:04,860 --> 00:13:08,460
They have never been outside, but they have been diagnosed with pneumonia

222
00:13:08,460 --> 00:13:10,340
Here they are receiving nebulizer therapy

223
00:13:10,340 --> 00:13:12,540
The parents of these babies asked me to photograph their children

224
00:13:12,540 --> 00:13:15,660
they suspected their children became sick due to lack of protection during heavy smog

225
00:13:15,660 --> 00:13:17,220
The doctor told them:

226
00:13:17,220 --> 00:13:20,463
"I can only render a diagnosis of 'Pneumonia of unknown cause'

227
00:13:20,463 --> 00:13:25,220
because of the lack of current epidemiological studies. But I can tell you this statistic:

228
00:13:25,220 --> 00:13:31,420
In January of 2013 during the heavy smog, throughout the entire country

229
00:13:31,420 --> 00:13:37,660
27 cities showed exponential increases in emergency department visits."

230
00:13:37,660 --> 00:13:41,020
The mothers in my community discussed this event once

231
00:13:41,020 --> 00:13:43,060
One mother asked me

232
00:13:43,060 --> 00:13:44,540
"How should we deal with the smog?

233
00:13:44,540 --> 00:13:49,620
Should we expose our kids to the smog as soon as possible to train them, so they adapt

234
00:13:49,620 --> 00:13:52,380
and aren't disadvantaged from the very beginning?

235
00:13:52,380 --> 00:13:56,620
A medical expert from Los Angeles, a city that once suffered from extreme air pollution, informed us

236
00:13:56,620 --> 00:14:00,540
about the risks of exposing our children to air pollution in hopes that they would be able to adapt

237
00:14:03,380 --> 00:14:05,620
I don't think we have any information

238
00:14:05,620 --> 00:14:07,580
that suggests that exposing your child to air pollution

239
00:14:07,580 --> 00:14:09,180
is going to help them to adapt

240
00:14:09,180 --> 00:14:12,380
If we expose them on day one, they lose some function

241
00:14:12,380 --> 00:14:15,580
If they expose them on day two, they don't lose the same amount

242
00:14:15,580 --> 00:14:18,180
But that's because, not that they have adapted

243
00:14:18,180 --> 00:14:21,460
but because they've already lost the function and they already are injured

244
00:14:21,460 --> 00:14:24,620
It has been shown in several studies around the world now

245
00:14:24,620 --> 00:14:29,940
that children in cleaner places grow faster than children growing up in a more polluted area

246
00:14:29,940 --> 00:14:35,540
Poor lung function early in life is a predictor of lung problems later on in life

247
00:14:35,540 --> 00:14:39,300
And so, doing something about the air while a child is growing

248
00:14:39,300 --> 00:14:41,620
You can make a change in that child's life

249
00:14:42,420 --> 00:14:46,020
This is downstairs from where I live, I took this photo two days ago in severe smog

250
00:14:46,020 --> 00:14:49,740
The AQI (air quality index) on that day had exceeded 500, above the "hazardous" pollution level

251
00:14:50,140 --> 00:14:52,338
However, the kids in the adjacent elementary school

252
00:14:52,338 --> 00:14:55,140
were still outside playing ball games, running and playing around

253
00:14:55,140 --> 00:14:58,900
When people exercise they breathe five to ten times more deeply than usual

254
00:14:58,900 --> 00:15:02,420
When I saw this, I became aware of the fact that I couldn't protect my child under all circumstances

255
00:15:02,420 --> 00:15:04,500
Someday she will have to go into society

256
00:15:04,500 --> 00:15:07,460
and breathing is something inevitable that she will always do

257
00:15:07,460 --> 00:15:09,460
And it (PM2.5) is there in every breath you take

258
00:15:09,460 --> 00:15:13,420
Adult's like ourselves breathe roughly 25,000 times per day

259
00:15:13,420 --> 00:15:17,700
Over time, as it continues to accumulate, what are these substances like in our lungs?

260
00:15:17,700 --> 00:15:23,500
We are grateful to a patient and doctor at Beijing Cancer Hospital who allowed us to film this surgery

261
00:15:23,500 --> 00:15:26,740
This is a female patient in her early fifties with early stage lung cancer

262
00:15:26,740 --> 00:15:28,500
She works in the hospital's accounting office

263
00:15:28,500 --> 00:15:30,420
She and her family have no history of smoking

264
00:15:31,180 --> 00:15:35,530
The following clip was filmed with the permission of the patient's family and the hospital

265
00:15:37,890 --> 00:15:41,460
The following scenes might cause discomfort for some viewers, please use discretion

266
00:15:45,090 --> 00:15:46,580
Inside the lung cavity

267
00:15:46,580 --> 00:15:49,740
Everyone will breathe in these black spots

268
00:15:49,740 --> 00:15:50,740
Including ourselves

269
00:15:51,860 --> 00:15:52,700
Does this person smoke?

270
00:15:52,700 --> 00:15:54,780
No, she doesn't smoke

271
00:15:54,780 --> 00:15:56,300
But she's from (censored) city

272
00:15:56,380 --> 00:15:58,540
From your hometown

273
00:15:58,540 --> 00:16:00,500
The air quality is really bad

274
00:16:00,620 --> 00:16:01,380
Yeah, it's not clean

275
00:16:01,380 --> 00:16:04,180
So this (might be) the stuff that's in the air

276
00:16:04,800 --> 00:16:08,620
Pulmonary lymph node color - carbon particle build up over time has turned it completely black

277
00:16:09,060 --> 00:16:12,620
In her entire body only the lymph nodes in her lungs are black

278
00:16:12,620 --> 00:16:15,780
This is because she has inhaled a lot of dust

279
00:16:15,780 --> 00:16:18,060
The lymphatic system is crucial for immune system functionality

280
00:16:18,060 --> 00:16:19,940
Which means it helps our immune system fight disease

281
00:16:19,940 --> 00:16:24,020
When the black stuff on top accumulates does it affect our body's ability to fight cancerous cells?

282
00:16:24,020 --> 00:16:30,020
It may be the case that it has overburdened the lymphatic system

283
00:16:30,020 --> 00:16:34,084
So this year the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that

284
00:16:34,084 --> 00:16:38,580
chronic lung diseases are one of the highest risk factors for lung cancer

285
00:16:41,540 --> 00:16:43,700
It's nice to know that this type of surgery is very successful

286
00:16:43,700 --> 00:16:47,140
and the patient can make a full recovery after the tumors have been extracted

287
00:16:47,140 --> 00:16:51,420
After extracting the black lymph nodes, the doctor presented them to the patient's family

288
00:16:51,420 --> 00:16:54,860
They asked: "Can you tell me why my wife got cancer?"

289
00:16:54,860 --> 00:16:59,340
He said, "I can only say that according to my clinical experience, I suspect it was because of air pollution."

290
00:16:59,340 --> 00:17:03,500
The WHO has stated that particulate matter is classified as a human carcinogen

291
00:17:04,700 --> 00:17:06,420
When he told me this I had a questoin

292
00:17:06,420 --> 00:17:10,860
Doesn't lung cancer have an incubation period of at least ten years or so?

293
00:17:10,860 --> 00:17:13,060
But we only started hearing about air pollution two years ago, right?

294
00:17:13,060 --> 00:17:16,860
Then how could it lead to lung cancer this quickly?

295
00:17:16,860 --> 00:17:21,620
So I asked NASA if they could send me satellite images of the air over North China from the past 10 years

296
00:17:22,580 --> 00:17:24,060
This is what I got

297
00:17:24,060 --> 00:17:26,060
2012

298
00:17:26,060 --> 00:17:27,660
The air over Beijing

299
00:17:27,660 --> 00:17:29,100
2011

300
00:17:29,100 --> 00:17:30,860
Beijing in December

301
00:17:30,900 --> 00:17:32,340
2010

302
00:17:32,340 --> 00:17:33,620
The air over North China

303
00:17:33,620 --> 00:17:35,180
2009

304
00:17:35,180 --> 00:17:36,220
The air over North China

305
00:17:36,220 --> 00:17:38,100
Let's look at 10 years ago

306
00:17:38,100 --> 00:17:39,860
North China in 2005

307
00:17:39,860 --> 00:17:41,580
But I couldn't believe it

308
00:17:41,580 --> 00:17:43,780
I was living under these skies in North China at that time

309
00:17:43,780 --> 00:17:46,820
How could I have been unaware of any air pollution for 10 years?

310
00:17:46,820 --> 00:17:49,420
So I sought out the head of China's Olympic air quality assurance group

311
00:17:49,420 --> 00:17:51,060
An academic named Dr. Tang Xiaoyan

312
00:17:51,060 --> 00:17:53,980
She gave me this graph

313
00:17:53,980 --> 00:17:55,780
This is 2004

314
00:17:55,780 --> 00:17:57,340
Eleven years ago

315
00:17:57,340 --> 00:17:58,980
Back then, we hadn't started monitoring PM2.5 levels

316
00:17:58,980 --> 00:18:00,260
But we have the levels of PM10

317
00:18:00,260 --> 00:18:02,140
She said according to estimates at the time

318
00:18:02,140 --> 00:18:06,380
At that time when it was very polluted, PM2.5 could have reached 300-400

319
00:18:06,380 --> 00:18:09,260
Today we would classify that as very unhealthy pollution

320
00:18:09,260 --> 00:18:13,060
I asked her, could it really be that I was that blind? I was in Beijing in 2004!

321
00:18:14,140 --> 00:18:17,220
She said, look at this picture

322
00:18:17,220 --> 00:18:19,420
What is that?

323
00:18:19,420 --> 00:18:21,420
I said, that's probably smog, right?

324
00:18:21,420 --> 00:18:23,020
Then how come I didn't know at the time?

325
00:18:23,020 --> 00:18:25,900
She said, you should look up the news headlines on that day

326
00:18:25,900 --> 00:18:28,890
"Beijing Capital Airport Experiences the Most Delays in Recent Years Due to Fog"

327
00:18:28,890 --> 00:18:29,900
December 2, 2004, Sina News

328
00:18:29,900 --> 00:18:31,700
Back then we thought it was just fog

329
00:18:31,700 --> 00:18:34,100
We kept calling it "fog"

330
00:18:34,100 --> 00:18:35,740
So after I saw this picture

331
00:18:35,740 --> 00:18:41,380
as a former reporter, I was full of remorse because all those years I was reporting I always thought that

332
00:18:41,380 --> 00:18:43,260
I was reporting on pollution across the country

333
00:18:43,260 --> 00:18:44,380
But I always thought

334
00:18:44,380 --> 00:18:47,180
it was only called pollution when I heard explosions in mines

335
00:18:47,180 --> 00:18:49,340
it was only called pollution when I saw smoke from factory chimneys

336
00:18:49,340 --> 00:18:52,689
I never thought that for those of us who lived in a metropolitan city center

337
00:18:52,689 --> 00:18:54,540
the sky we saw everyday was also pollution

338
00:18:54,540 --> 00:18:57,420
At that time I wasn't a reporter anymore, I was already involved

339
00:18:59,620 --> 00:19:01,260
But I still had a question

340
00:19:01,260 --> 00:19:06,300
If it really was like this when I was young, every family was burning kerosene stoves, right?

341
00:19:06,300 --> 00:19:09,380
Every night we would sleep and awaken to the smell of smoke

342
00:19:09,380 --> 00:19:12,080
How come I never heard about people back then getting lung cancer?

343
00:19:12,100 --> 00:19:13,420
I kept asking this question

344
00:19:13,420 --> 00:19:17,380
until I met professor He Xingzhou, who has been researching this topic for over 30 years

345
00:19:17,380 --> 00:19:20,140
He gave me a book of data

346
00:19:20,140 --> 00:19:21,540
This

347
00:19:21,540 --> 00:19:29,140
A Survey of the Relationship Between Air Pollution and Cause of Death for 26 Chinese cities 1976-1981

348
00:19:29,140 --> 00:19:32,700
So everyone can see clearly, I've put the conclusion up on the screen here

349
00:19:32,700 --> 00:19:33,860
It's very simple

350
00:19:33,860 --> 00:19:38,460
The air pollution from back then already correlated with death rates from lung cancer

351
00:19:38,460 --> 00:19:40,380
The air pollution back then was the result of burning coal

352
00:19:41,140 --> 00:19:45,430
It just happened to be the case that this data was considered internal information at that time

353
00:19:47,420 --> 00:19:49,660
It wasn't that people at that time couldn't smell the suffocating smoke

354
00:19:49,660 --> 00:19:52,780
But the warmth and energy that coal brought was more important at the time

355
00:19:52,780 --> 00:19:55,940
Around 1980 there were 3,700 factories inside Beijing

356
00:19:56,100 --> 00:20:00,660
for a large agricultural country eager to develop, smokestacks were a sign of progress

357
00:20:00,660 --> 00:20:03,020
For some people, they are just two smokestacks

358
00:20:03,020 --> 00:20:05,740
For some people, they are reference points to direct you home

359
00:20:06,460 --> 00:20:10,220
We had absolutely no experience or consciousness of pollution, nor the ability to control it

360
00:20:10,220 --> 00:20:11,940
Major pollutants did not have any set standards

361
00:20:11,940 --> 00:20:15,420
Even though the amount of coal burned wasn't near today's levels, the pollution discharged was enormous

362
00:20:15,420 --> 00:20:21,500
In terms of PM2.5 levels, in 2006, the average concentration of PM2.5 was higher than it is today

363
00:20:21,740 --> 00:20:24,380
It was this year that China proposed saving energy and reducing emissions

364
00:20:24,380 --> 00:20:26,540
and setting standards for sulfur dioxide and other major pollutants

365
00:20:26,540 --> 00:20:29,140
Afterwards, air pollution started to decrease

366
00:20:29,140 --> 00:20:32,780
but the amount of fine particles affecting visibility increased

367
00:20:32,780 --> 00:20:34,929
The amount of days with extremely high pollution increased

368
00:20:34,929 --> 00:20:36,820
and people started feeling strongly about pollution

369
00:20:37,340 --> 00:20:39,590
Economic development has increased life expectancy in China

370
00:20:39,590 --> 00:20:41,460
and has brought more ways to recover from illness

371
00:20:41,460 --> 00:20:44,260
But the risks that come from air pollution have become obvious

372
00:20:44,260 --> 00:20:48,100
In the past 30 years, the death rate from lung cancer in China has increased by 465%

373
00:20:48,100 --> 00:20:51,780
Even though smoking and an aging society are major factors in this statistic

374
00:20:51,780 --> 00:20:55,620
The risk of developing lung cancer associated with particulate matter is receiving increased attention

375
00:20:55,860 --> 00:21:01,740
Monitoring of PM2.5 levels started in 2012 and China implemented its "Air Pollution Prevention Plan"

376
00:21:01,740 --> 00:21:04,577
As wages increased and information became more transparent

377
00:21:04,577 --> 00:21:07,170
people's expectations on the environment rose as well

378
00:21:08,700 --> 00:21:10,380
A person

379
00:21:10,380 --> 00:21:13,300
Or not even a person, how should any living organism live?

380
00:21:13,300 --> 00:21:16,300
When spring arrives, you open your doors the wind blows in

381
00:21:16,300 --> 00:21:18,820
The smell of flowers fills the air and colors come back to life

382
00:21:18,820 --> 00:21:20,980
Sometimes when it rains or when it's foggy out

383
00:21:20,980 --> 00:21:23,652
You can't help but breathe the air deep into your lungs and

384
00:21:23,652 --> 00:21:26,460
experience the feeling of small water droplets filling them up

385
00:21:26,460 --> 00:21:28,430
Both piercingly cold but also pure and fresh

386
00:21:28,940 --> 00:21:31,300
In autumn, you would spend a whole afternoon

387
00:21:31,300 --> 00:21:35,740
with a loved one doing absolutely nothing, just basking lazily in the sun

388
00:21:35,740 --> 00:21:38,780
In the winter, you would go outside with your kids

389
00:21:38,780 --> 00:21:41,460
when it's snowing, she sticks out her tongue to catch the snowflakes

390
00:21:41,460 --> 00:21:44,860
You would teach her about nature and the beauty of life

391
00:21:46,580 --> 00:21:47,740
But now...

392
00:21:50,100 --> 00:21:56,300
This year, every day when I wake up the first thing I do is check the air quality on my phone

393
00:21:56,300 --> 00:21:58,140
Because it will determine my whole day

394
00:21:58,140 --> 00:22:00,980
I rely on a wind from the northwest to live my life

395
00:22:00,980 --> 00:22:02,180
I wear a mask when I go for a walk

396
00:22:02,180 --> 00:22:03,460
I wear a mask when I go shopping

397
00:22:03,460 --> 00:22:05,260
I wear a mask when I go to see my friends

398
00:22:05,260 --> 00:22:09,700
I use tape to cover up every crack of the windows and doors in my house

399
00:22:09,700 --> 00:22:13,860
When I took my daughter to get vaccinated I was afraid even when she smiled at me

400
00:22:15,940 --> 00:22:18,260
Actually, I'm not really afraid of death

401
00:22:18,260 --> 00:22:20,340
I just don't want to live like this

402
00:22:21,940 --> 00:22:25,740
So whenever someone asks me what are you doing this for?

403
00:22:25,740 --> 00:22:26,940
I can only tell them

404
00:22:26,940 --> 00:22:29,500
This is a personal battle between me and air pollution

405
00:22:29,500 --> 00:22:30,620
Where does air pollution come from?

406
00:22:30,620 --> 00:22:32,620
I want to know where it comes from

407
00:22:32,620 --> 00:22:34,700
I want to understand what is really going on

408
00:22:35,620 --> 00:22:40,940
I examined a strip of sampling film under a scientist's microscope and I saw what it looked like

409
00:22:40,940 --> 00:22:43,580
Pollution was not the collection of identical particles that I imagined it to be

410
00:22:43,580 --> 00:22:45,860
It is a mixture of all sorts of things

411
00:22:45,860 --> 00:22:49,780
Being a mixture makes it more poisonous as well as allowing it to spread more rapidly

412
00:22:49,780 --> 00:22:51,660
Pollutants can chemically react with each other

413
00:22:51,660 --> 00:22:54,580
The Chinese Academy of Sciences explained the pollution sources to me

414
00:22:54,580 --> 00:22:58,700
burning coal, burning oil, burning organic materials industry, farming, chemical fertilizers, dust emission

415
00:22:58,700 --> 00:23:01,300
Most of these causes are due to human activity

416
00:23:01,300 --> 00:23:06,420
If you analyze these factors you will find where most of pollution comes from

417
00:23:06,420 --> 00:23:07,740
This is the conclusion

418
00:23:07,740 --> 00:23:11,300
60% of the PM2.5 in China comes from

419
00:23:11,300 --> 00:23:14,420
burning coal and oil, that is, the burning of fossil fuels

420
00:23:16,340 --> 00:23:18,980
PM2.5 has existed long before humans

421
00:23:18,980 --> 00:23:22,260
Volcanic eruptions and forest fires would emit large amounts of fine particulate matter

422
00:23:22,260 --> 00:23:26,540
Starting from when we discovered how to make fire from wood, human activities have contributed to PM2.5

423
00:23:26,940 --> 00:23:30,780
In the past, the use of coal in large quantities led to serious pollution in England and Germany

424
00:23:31,100 --> 00:23:35,900
and when we entered the age of oil, burning oil led to serious pollution in America and Japan

425
00:23:36,500 --> 00:23:40,860
At this moment there are still many developing countries in the process of industrializing

426
00:23:41,330 --> 00:23:42,070
India

427
00:23:42,240 --> 00:23:43,060
Iran

428
00:23:43,110 --> 00:23:43,710
Pakistan

429
00:23:43,730 --> 00:23:44,340
Afghanistan

430
00:23:44,340 --> 00:23:47,580
All face problems with pollution from burning fossil fuels

431
00:23:47,580 --> 00:23:50,660
as does China, the country that has developed fastest in the world

432
00:23:50,660 --> 00:23:54,740
It's large size has led to burning large amounts of both types of fossil fuels

433
00:23:58,540 --> 00:24:00,220
How much fuel are we actually burning?

434
00:24:00,220 --> 00:24:02,780
We can see in 2014

435
00:24:02,780 --> 00:24:06,620
This figure represents the quantities of fossil fuel being burned around the world

436
00:24:06,620 --> 00:24:08,220
You can see how bright China is

437
00:24:08,220 --> 00:24:13,140
That bright white and red area, that's our country

438
00:24:13,140 --> 00:24:16,460
From the image we can see China burns from 3-4 times more fossil fuel than Europe

439
00:24:16,460 --> 00:24:18,860
We have burned so much fossil fuel

440
00:24:18,860 --> 00:24:21,552
But the thing that surprised me most was that

441
00:24:21,552 --> 00:24:25,860
the pollutants from coal and oil can have large-scale chemical reactions

442
00:24:25,940 --> 00:24:28,900
Wang Yuesi, Du Jiming and Tang Xiaoyan

443
00:24:28,900 --> 00:24:32,020
We haven't yet dealt with coal pollution, and now vehicle pollution has been added to the mix

444
00:24:32,020 --> 00:24:36,140
The pollution in China right now is basically an overlap of these two types of pollution

445
00:24:36,140 --> 00:24:40,020
All kinds of particles react with each other in the air

446
00:24:40,340 --> 00:24:42,660
Air movement has decreased but the same quantity of pollutants remains

447
00:24:42,660 --> 00:24:45,091
The unfortunate thing is that these pollutants haven't spread out

448
00:24:45,091 --> 00:24:47,860
but are instead reacting with each other, what we call secondary particles

449
00:24:47,860 --> 00:24:51,420
Complex pollutants, they absorb, adhere, collide, merge

450
00:24:51,420 --> 00:24:52,900
They all mix together

451
00:24:52,900 --> 00:24:57,060
There's no way for us to change natural conditions we can only change ourselves

452
00:24:57,060 --> 00:24:59,420
and the way to do that is to reduce emissions

453
00:25:01,700 --> 00:25:04,780
The whole world needs to burn coal and oil, right?

454
00:25:04,780 --> 00:25:06,340
So what's wrong with our coal?

455
00:25:06,340 --> 00:25:08,420
Do you know how much coal China has burned?

456
00:25:08,420 --> 00:25:11,980
In 2013 we had already burned 3.6 billion tons

457
00:25:11,980 --> 00:25:16,060
But do you know how much all the other countries in the world have burned?

458
00:25:16,060 --> 00:25:20,020
We have burned more coal than the rest of the world combined

459
00:25:20,020 --> 00:25:23,820
The last time a country had this kind of consumption was England in 1860

460
00:25:23,820 --> 00:25:26,860
But as a result, they paid a heavy price

461
00:25:29,540 --> 00:25:35,180
Deep in an abandoned mine in South Wales lies the heart of England's industrial age

462
00:25:35,180 --> 00:25:39,060
It used to drive the most powerful empire in the world

463
00:25:39,060 --> 00:25:42,700
But as a result, it also brought this country a frightening black disaster

464
00:25:45,620 --> 00:25:47,380
These 4 smokestacks are 103 meters tall

465
00:25:47,380 --> 00:25:50,100
They are the symbols of the industrial age in England

466
00:25:50,100 --> 00:25:52,456
When the Battersea Power Station was completed in 1930

467
00:25:52,456 --> 00:25:54,900
it would burn approximately 10,000 tons of coal per week

468
00:25:54,900 --> 00:25:57,020
to supply a fifth of the electricity for the city of London

469
00:25:57,020 --> 00:25:59,460
You could say that London was eating coal to survive

470
00:25:59,460 --> 00:26:03,140
trains, boats, iron, steel, everyday items

471
00:26:03,140 --> 00:26:07,660
In all of London, it was like millions of micro-volcanoes were all erupting at once

472
00:26:07,660 --> 00:26:11,593
Since they were burning large quantities of poor quality coal and emitting pollution at low elevations

473
00:26:11,593 --> 00:26:15,180
the amount of pollution from family chimneys was double the amount of pollution from industry

474
00:26:15,180 --> 00:26:18,500
Slowly, with time, London became completely covered in soot

475
00:26:18,940 --> 00:26:20,660
People wore face masks to go to school

476
00:26:21,300 --> 00:26:22,540
Wore face masks to go shopping

477
00:26:22,940 --> 00:26:23,780
Wore facemasks to walk their dogs

478
00:26:24,220 --> 00:26:25,580
Wore face masks to kiss

479
00:26:30,460 --> 00:26:33,980
The day of the disaster was December 5, 1952

480
00:26:34,420 --> 00:26:38,740
a cold front stretched across the English Channel and covered the entire Thames River Valley

481
00:26:38,740 --> 00:26:42,020
This kept the smog under the clouds, preventing it from dissipating

482
00:26:42,020 --> 00:26:43,460
Poison smoke has closed down

483
00:26:43,460 --> 00:26:45,860
Residents have difficulty in breathing the murky air

484
00:26:46,020 --> 00:26:48,300
People walking down the street couldn't even see their own feet

485
00:26:48,300 --> 00:26:50,100
You needed a blind person to lead you home

486
00:26:50,100 --> 00:26:52,780
Traffic police used large lamps to light themselves up so they wouldn't get hit by cars

487
00:26:52,780 --> 00:26:54,660
All of London was completely silent

488
00:26:55,980 --> 00:26:59,340
You could only see ambulances, because they had to bring those whose lives were in danger to the hospital

489
00:26:59,340 --> 00:27:03,700
But when they were on the road they had to rely on people holding torches to show them the way

490
00:27:06,380 --> 00:27:10,060
In the end 12,000 people died in the smog

491
00:27:10,060 --> 00:27:13,500
The lungs of the dead were sampled and close examination confirmed that they died due to

492
00:27:13,500 --> 00:27:15,900
prolonged exposure to black carbon, a by-product of burning coal and

493
00:27:15,900 --> 00:27:19,220
short-term overexposure to a high concentration of fine particulate matter containing heavy metals

494
00:27:19,220 --> 00:27:22,660
The Coalition for Clean Air calculated that the concentration of pollution in London at the time might have

495
00:27:22,660 --> 00:27:24,580
surpassed the current pollution in China by a large margin

496
00:27:24,580 --> 00:27:26,500
Even though PM2.5 was not measured at the time

497
00:27:26,500 --> 00:27:31,780
During the Great Smog the concentration of sulfur dioxide was 190 times the WHO standard

498
00:27:31,780 --> 00:27:34,940
and exceeded China's PM2.5 standard by an order of magnitude

499
00:27:38,220 --> 00:27:45,860
In the 1960s, after the Great Smog in London, other countries began to reduce and control their use of coal

500
00:27:45,860 --> 00:27:49,700
But that was also the time when China started its economic reform

501
00:27:49,700 --> 00:27:52,668
A country that had been closed and left behind for so many years

502
00:27:52,668 --> 00:27:55,220
desperately needed massive amounts of energy to develop

503
00:27:55,220 --> 00:27:56,780
And it chose to get that energy from coal

504
00:27:56,780 --> 00:27:59,025
This graph shows coal's growth as an energy source

505
00:28:00,140 --> 00:28:03,100
India is also on a similar path

506
00:28:03,100 --> 00:28:06,540
In the near future, India will be the world's second largest consumer of coal

507
00:28:06,540 --> 00:28:11,060
But as of today, India has not yet set standards for emissions of important pollutants in its industries

508
00:28:11,060 --> 00:28:14,340
India is also a country suffering from severe air pollution

509
00:28:14,340 --> 00:28:17,460
So where does all this coal end up being used in China?

510
00:28:17,460 --> 00:28:20,940
Let's take a look at the 3.6 billion tons of coal consumed in 2013

511
00:28:20,940 --> 00:28:23,780
380 million tons was burnt in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei

512
00:28:23,780 --> 00:28:29,500
Of that 380 million tons, 300 million tons was burnt in Hebei

513
00:28:29,500 --> 00:28:32,900
I was really surprised because I always thought it was us Shanxi people who burnt the most coal

514
00:28:32,900 --> 00:28:35,140
When did Hebei start burning so much coal?

515
00:28:35,140 --> 00:28:37,020
Dr. Hao Jiming from Tsinghua University asked me

516
00:28:37,940 --> 00:28:40,660
"Have you seen the world iron and steel production rankings?"

517
00:28:41,980 --> 00:28:45,060
He said that China is in first place

518
00:28:45,060 --> 00:28:46,500
Hebei is second

519
00:28:46,500 --> 00:28:47,900
Tangshan is third

520
00:28:47,900 --> 00:28:48,740
US is fourth

521
00:28:50,380 --> 00:28:53,980
He also added that originally, Tangshan lied in order to be fifth

522
00:28:53,980 --> 00:28:56,300
Does more coal use and industrialization always mean more pollution?

523
00:28:56,300 --> 00:28:57,980
Other countries also produce steel

524
00:28:57,980 --> 00:29:00,820
He said, "You will understand what I mean if you go to Tangshan."

525
00:29:00,820 --> 00:29:04,900
So, last October together with the MEP North China Supervision Centre

526
00:29:04,900 --> 00:29:09,090
we went to Tangshan equipped with drones to take a look at the actual conditions

527
00:29:09,090 --> 00:29:12,580
Zhang Dawei - MEP Bureau of Environmental Supervision

528
00:29:12,860 --> 00:29:14,100
Can you see that smoke over there?

529
00:29:14,100 --> 00:29:15,700
It's not that clear because of the heavy smog

530
00:29:19,010 --> 00:29:21,498
Visual inspection of emissions from the factory was impossible

531
00:29:25,140 --> 00:29:28,020
The weather now makes it difficult to see clearly

532
00:29:33,940 --> 00:29:36,850
Drone inspection failed due to intense smog

533
00:29:37,020 --> 00:29:39,260
Have a look behind to see if anyone is following us

534
00:29:40,990 --> 00:29:42,720
The MEP paid an unannounced visit to the factory

535
00:29:51,180 --> 00:29:54,460
This choking smell of sulfur dioxide must be the smoke

536
00:29:54,460 --> 00:29:58,380
We can now see that a lot of smoke is leaking around the edges

537
00:29:58,700 --> 00:30:02,340
This smoke is being emitted without any controls and released into the atmosphere

538
00:30:02,340 --> 00:30:03,980
Why aren't you using the dust filters?

539
00:30:03,980 --> 00:30:05,100
We are using them

540
00:30:05,100 --> 00:30:07,180
Then why is there so much smoke?

541
00:30:10,500 --> 00:30:11,980
They are operating, see it's being sucked up

542
00:30:17,820 --> 00:30:19,780
Oh my god, have a look underneath

543
00:30:19,780 --> 00:30:20,460
I'm going down to see

544
00:30:20,460 --> 00:30:23,020
This must be the most dangerous thing I've done in my career, my life

545
00:30:23,020 --> 00:30:24,260
Oh my god, it's too terrifying

546
00:30:24,340 --> 00:30:25,460
Stop, stop, stop

547
00:30:25,700 --> 00:30:26,540
Someone fell

548
00:30:29,460 --> 00:30:32,700
The guy who fell was Inspector Zhang Dawei from the MEP North China Bureau of Environmental Supervision

549
00:30:32,700 --> 00:30:38,380
We were all scared at the time because there weren't any lights or warning signs in the factory

550
00:30:38,380 --> 00:30:41,740
There was a pit about 3 meters deep filled with steel and cement

551
00:30:41,740 --> 00:30:46,140
Dawei wanted to go down and check for emissions from this place, and he fell in

552
00:30:46,140 --> 00:30:50,580
Fortunately he wasn't injured seriously so we took him to the hospital and then back to Beijing that night

553
00:30:51,940 --> 00:30:56,165
But what surprised me most was we put in so much effort, had so much trouble

554
00:30:56,165 --> 00:31:01,780
and despite finding clear evidence of pollution in the end, this company was not penalized in any way

555
00:31:03,140 --> 00:31:04,160
I asked Dawei why

556
00:31:04,170 --> 00:31:05,570
He said, "You should ask my boss"

557
00:31:05,570 --> 00:31:08,000
Xiong Yuehui - MEP Department of Science, Technology and Standards

558
00:31:08,000 --> 00:31:11,460
Over 60% of steel firms have not completed the approval process

559
00:31:11,460 --> 00:31:15,780
They did not bother to consult environmental protection law but only tried to stop the approval process

560
00:31:15,780 --> 00:31:18,900
They stopped the approval process whether production is legal or not

561
00:31:18,900 --> 00:31:22,060
They know there is no chance, so they act with utter recklessness

562
00:31:22,060 --> 00:31:26,900
Their operations are completely unlicensed, even inspectors don't want to touch this industry in any way

563
00:31:26,900 --> 00:31:28,900
Can you really shut them down?

564
00:31:28,900 --> 00:31:30,540
Can you really stop them?

565
00:31:30,540 --> 00:31:31,900
Why can't we shut them down?

566
00:31:31,900 --> 00:31:35,180
You must be kidding, how many jobs does producing ten million tons of steel create?

567
00:31:35,180 --> 00:31:36,540
One hundred thousand jobs

568
00:31:36,780 --> 00:31:39,100
How important is the steel industry in Hebei?

569
00:31:39,100 --> 00:31:42,860
It's so important that you can't simply shut them down

570
00:31:43,100 --> 00:31:48,540
This province is filled with heavy industry, consuming large quantities of coal

571
00:31:48,540 --> 00:31:53,740
without effective pollution controls, and the industries cannot be forced to shut down

572
00:31:53,740 --> 00:31:55,100
What are the consequences of this?

573
00:31:55,100 --> 00:31:58,100
I have a good friend, Hao, who was also colleague of mine on "News Investigation"

574
00:31:58,100 --> 00:32:00,780
She also went with me ten years ago to Shanxi to report on the local pollution

575
00:32:00,780 --> 00:32:03,940
She knew I was from Linfen (in Shanxi) and sometimes she would jokingly send me pictures

576
00:32:03,940 --> 00:32:08,580
She would say, "I heard your hometown is now the most polluted city on the planet."

577
00:32:08,580 --> 00:32:12,940
I was speechless, but after 10 years I sent this picture to her

578
00:32:15,700 --> 00:32:16,740
Let's take a closer look

579
00:32:19,540 --> 00:32:24,220
Celebrating the fact that our city's air is no longer the most polluted of 74 cities in China

580
00:32:24,220 --> 00:32:26,420
This was a real banner in Hebei

581
00:32:26,420 --> 00:32:29,940
Unfortunately, this city was once again the most polluted city on the list (3 months later)

582
00:32:29,940 --> 00:32:34,420
But this kind of joke really makes me sad

583
00:32:34,420 --> 00:32:37,060
And for people living in Beijing

584
00:32:37,060 --> 00:32:41,300
every time the wind blows from the south the pollution from Hebei moves towards us like this

585
00:32:41,300 --> 00:32:43,860
You can't keep the air out with a wall

586
00:32:43,860 --> 00:32:47,780
So this what they mean when they say "Breath together and live together"

587
00:32:47,780 --> 00:32:52,100
I have another friend, called Fan, from Jiangsu

588
00:32:52,100 --> 00:32:56,020
I used to argue with Hao about which province is more polluted, Hebei or Shanxi

589
00:32:56,020 --> 00:32:59,900
Fan used to say offhandedly, "Well, we southerners don't really have any pollution."

590
00:33:01,010 --> 00:33:02,980
Now Eastern China also has severe pollution

591
00:33:04,996 --> 00:33:06,220
But Fan was quite surprised

592
00:33:06,220 --> 00:33:10,260
She said, "It's impossible, at least Eastern China's pollution can't have anything to do with coal

593
00:33:10,260 --> 00:33:12,020
because I've never seen coal in my whole life"

594
00:33:12,020 --> 00:33:12,860
Right

595
00:33:12,860 --> 00:33:15,380
I showed her this image

596
00:33:15,380 --> 00:33:17,540
These are the iron and steel factories near your house

597
00:33:17,540 --> 00:33:19,380
These are power plants near your house

598
00:33:19,380 --> 00:33:22,700
These are cement factories near your house

599
00:33:22,700 --> 00:33:26,540
In Jiangsu there's one power plant for every 30 square kilometers

600
00:33:26,540 --> 00:33:29,420
And what is the current state of emissions from these companies?

601
00:33:29,420 --> 00:33:33,940
Here we can see their emissions in real time

602
00:33:33,940 --> 00:33:36,340
The red spots indicate emissions exceeding the standards

603
00:33:36,340 --> 00:33:42,540
As we zoom in, you can see how many firms in the east are emitting pollutants in excess of the limits

604
00:33:42,540 --> 00:33:45,820
Among them, Shanghai which burns a lot of coal itself

605
00:33:45,820 --> 00:33:49,780
is burning the largest quantity of coal per unit of area of all the metropolitan cities

606
00:33:49,780 --> 00:33:52,980
10 kilograms of coal are burned for every square meter of land

607
00:33:52,980 --> 00:33:56,060
What are the consequences of burning more coal?

608
00:33:56,060 --> 00:33:59,860
One problem I never thought about is that high quality coal will become increasingly scarce

609
00:33:59,860 --> 00:34:00,460
Right?

610
00:34:00,460 --> 00:34:01,580
So what should we do?

611
00:34:01,580 --> 00:34:04,020
Lower quality coal will become more common

612
00:34:04,020 --> 00:34:06,380
How low can the quality be?

613
00:34:06,380 --> 00:34:08,220
This is common coal

614
00:34:08,220 --> 00:34:11,780
What about this, is this coal too?

615
00:34:11,780 --> 00:34:17,020
At first I did not think this was coal, this must be wood, you can still see the texture and fossils on top

616
00:34:17,020 --> 00:34:20,620
But people from coal washing factories told me that this is really coal, it's called brown coal (lignite)

617
00:34:20,620 --> 00:34:22,260
It's the youngest coal in the world

618
00:34:22,260 --> 00:34:24,540
It's so young that the level of coalification is extremely low

619
00:34:24,540 --> 00:34:28,980
When it is burnt, half of it will turn to black smog, floating in the air

620
00:34:28,980 --> 00:34:30,900
How much brown coal have we used?

621
00:34:30,900 --> 00:34:35,100
This is a graph of brown coal production in recent years

622
00:34:35,100 --> 00:34:36,820
And these are the consequences

623
00:34:36,820 --> 00:34:41,820
On October 21, 2013, on the first day the district heating was turned on in Harbin

624
00:34:41,820 --> 00:34:45,340
There was so much smog that that PM2.5 index exceeded 1000

625
00:34:45,340 --> 00:34:47,260
This was how Harbin people spent that day

626
00:34:49,100 --> 00:34:52,238
I talked with people from Harbin's environmental protection bureau

627
00:34:52,238 --> 00:34:55,140
and mentioned that I heard buses got lost over those two days

628
00:34:55,140 --> 00:34:59,750
He smiled bitterly and said: "Never mind the buses, even our own bureau director got lost

629
00:35:00,340 --> 00:35:06,060
He said when he was inspecting sites on that day nobody recognized him because of the smog."

630
00:35:06,060 --> 00:35:09,900
The smog in Harbin was caused by burning over 20 million tons of brown coal

631
00:35:09,900 --> 00:35:13,900
Plus, in 2013, several hundred thousand coal burning boilers like these across China

632
00:35:13,900 --> 00:35:16,900
did not comply with any environmental standard and were not regulated at all

633
00:35:16,900 --> 00:35:19,780
The coal was burned, and pollutants were emitted and released into the atmosphere

634
00:35:19,780 --> 00:35:26,860
When you look down from above it was as if 12 million people were buried under cement

635
00:35:26,860 --> 00:35:29,340
Coal itself does not mean pollution

636
00:35:29,340 --> 00:35:31,420
Germany also uses brown coal

637
00:35:31,420 --> 00:35:34,380
But in Germany they first clean and wash the brown coal to improve its quality

638
00:35:34,380 --> 00:35:35,900
Coal can be cleaned

639
00:35:35,900 --> 00:35:38,900
The British wash 95% of their coal

640
00:35:38,900 --> 00:35:41,260
And what about China?

641
00:35:41,260 --> 00:35:44,860
We wash less than half of our coal

642
00:35:44,860 --> 00:35:47,900
The other half, nearly several hundred million tons of coal

643
00:35:47,900 --> 00:35:51,740
contains the useless, highly polluting and inefficient material called ash

644
00:35:51,740 --> 00:35:57,420
But we transport it with trains, with trucks around the world and burn it in cooking stoves

645
00:35:57,420 --> 00:35:59,420
Completely useless

646
00:35:59,420 --> 00:36:04,140
The result is that most of the brown coal is burned in people's homes

647
00:36:04,140 --> 00:36:07,500
Even in urban areas in China, one quarter of people burn brown coal

648
00:36:08,340 --> 00:36:12,222
They don't burn a lot of coal, only 20% of the country's total but the sulfur dioxide

649
00:36:12,222 --> 00:36:16,380
emitted from this burning is equivalent to the emissions from all the power plants together

650
00:36:16,380 --> 00:36:18,300
That's how much of a difference washing coal can make

651
00:36:18,300 --> 00:36:21,300
The most terrifying thing is, it's highly toxic

652
00:36:21,300 --> 00:36:27,020
In Beijing, the toxicity of PM2.5 during winter is far greater than in summer

653
00:36:27,020 --> 00:36:29,900
The carcinogen content in winter is 25 times higher than in summer

654
00:36:29,900 --> 00:36:31,180
Why is PM2.5 so toxic in winter?

655
00:36:31,180 --> 00:36:36,260
Mostly because people are burning scrap coal, which emits an extremely large quantity of carcinogens

656
00:36:37,500 --> 00:36:41,660
For many years Chinese people have been suffering from the consequences of burning scrap coal

657
00:36:41,990 --> 00:36:43,900
In Xuanwei (Yunnan) there's a town called Hutou

658
00:36:43,900 --> 00:36:48,820
Burning scrap coal means it now has one of the highest lung cancer incidence rates in the world

659
00:36:50,860 --> 00:36:54,460
This person is in the late stages of lung cancer, he was coughing up blood

660
00:36:54,460 --> 00:37:01,180
He was too weak to brush away the flies, so he asked someone to put flypaper on his body

661
00:37:04,180 --> 00:37:06,852
This old man was photographed with all the people close to him

662
00:37:06,852 --> 00:37:09,180
whose lives were taken by lung cancer over these years

663
00:37:11,860 --> 00:37:14,380
There are even entire families that have been wiped out

664
00:37:15,860 --> 00:37:18,141
We always hear that that China is still a developing country

665
00:37:18,141 --> 00:37:20,500
and that environmental protection is a luxury we cannot afford

666
00:37:21,500 --> 00:37:25,020
But it's often the poorest people who suffer the most from pollution

667
00:37:25,020 --> 00:37:27,100
They are the most likely to be hurt

668
00:37:27,100 --> 00:37:29,140
They are the ones whose voices need most to be heard

669
00:37:29,140 --> 00:37:30,740
They need help the most

670
00:37:31,780 --> 00:37:34,780
These past few years, our coal consumption has been extremely high

671
00:37:34,780 --> 00:37:36,580
As a result, the quality of the coal we use has decreased

672
00:37:36,580 --> 00:37:39,660
We also don't wash our coal and there are almost no controls on emissions

673
00:37:39,660 --> 00:37:41,140
This is the result

674
00:37:42,020 --> 00:37:48,060
The places in China with the most coal consumption also have the highest concentrations of PM2.5

675
00:37:48,100 --> 00:37:52,660
I mean, the easiest way to clean up the environment is to lower our consumption of coal below 2 billion tons

676
00:37:52,660 --> 00:37:54,220
This will guarantee blue skies

677
00:37:54,220 --> 00:37:57,036
If we can't reach this goal, we can try to centralize the burning of coal

678
00:37:57,036 --> 00:37:59,660
and replace scrap coal burning with use in coal power plants instead

679
00:37:59,660 --> 00:38:05,020
As a next step, if we still can't accomplish this, we can try to wash the scrap coal we use

680
00:38:05,020 --> 00:38:07,700
If all the scrap coal is washed, how would that affect emissions?

681
00:38:07,700 --> 00:38:09,140
It would halve our emissions at the very least

682
00:38:09,140 --> 00:38:10,980
We can make two changes at present

683
00:38:10,980 --> 00:38:14,220
First, we must reduce consumption of coal or we can wash our coal

684
00:38:14,220 --> 00:38:15,847
Article 23 Atmospheric Protection Law

685
00:38:15,847 --> 00:38:16,980
The government promotes washing and upgrading coal

686
00:38:16,980 --> 00:38:18,300
Reduction of the sulfur and ash content in coal

687
00:38:18,300 --> 00:38:19,540
Restrictions on extracting coal with high sulfur and ash content

688
00:38:19,540 --> 00:38:21,120
Article 1 of the Ten atmosphere protection articles

689
00:38:21,120 --> 00:38:22,123
Overhaul small-scale coal burners

690
00:38:22,123 --> 00:38:23,870
Accelerating de-sulfurization and reducing nitrogen compounds and ash

691
00:38:23,870 --> 00:38:28,580
In 2014, PM2.5 has been reduced 11.1% from its original level in 74 cities

692
00:38:28,930 --> 00:38:31,980
but only 8 cities met the standards set by the government

693
00:38:31,980 --> 00:38:34,180
If we could effectively implement environmental protection measures

694
00:38:34,180 --> 00:38:39,700
just the ones we already have right now, have them 100% enforced, our ash and sulfur dioxide emissions

695
00:38:39,700 --> 00:38:43,420
would be 60% lower than current levels, our nitrogen oxide emissions would be 35% lower

696
00:38:43,420 --> 00:38:45,580
In order to solve the environmental problem in China

697
00:38:45,580 --> 00:38:47,300
First, we need to have better management

698
00:38:47,300 --> 00:38:49,300
Second, we still need better management

699
00:38:49,300 --> 00:38:51,420
Third, is still better management

700
00:38:51,420 --> 00:38:55,700
President Xi Jinping said: "The dignity of the law depends on its enforcement."

701
00:38:56,260 --> 00:39:00,260
China took only 30 years to complete an industrialization process that took 100 years in other countries

702
00:39:00,260 --> 00:39:05,060
Therefore, on top of the pollution from coal we have to account for the pollution from oil as well

703
00:39:05,060 --> 00:39:07,100
So what happens to our oil?

704
00:39:07,100 --> 00:39:08,860
Most of our oil is burnt by vehicles

705
00:39:08,860 --> 00:39:12,540
In ten years, the number of vehicles in China has increased by about 100 million

706
00:39:12,540 --> 00:39:17,060
Looking specifically at Beijing in 2010 how many cars were added in that one year?

707
00:39:17,060 --> 00:39:18,020
800,000 more

708
00:39:18,020 --> 00:39:19,060
What does 800,000 cars mean?

709
00:39:19,060 --> 00:39:24,660
If all these cars were placed end-to-end, they would stretch from Beijing to Shenzhen and back again

710
00:39:24,660 --> 00:39:27,180
That's one year's increase

711
00:39:27,180 --> 00:39:28,940
The result is as follows

712
00:39:28,940 --> 00:39:34,260
The primary source of PM2.5 within Beijing is these vehicles

713
00:39:34,260 --> 00:39:39,660
But there is another city that surprised me, a city which is under haze for over 200 days per year

714
00:39:41,340 --> 00:39:43,340
You can guess which city that is

715
00:39:46,020 --> 00:39:47,340
Which one?

716
00:39:50,620 --> 00:39:52,540
Let's try another picture

717
00:39:52,540 --> 00:39:54,100
Qinghai you say?

718
00:39:54,100 --> 00:39:56,780
Qingdao?

719
00:39:56,780 --> 00:39:59,180
Hangzhou

720
00:39:59,180 --> 00:40:02,380
To be honest I am as shocked as you are, because I always thought

721
00:40:02,380 --> 00:40:04,820
these were the scenes of misty rain described in all those famous poems

722
00:40:04,820 --> 00:40:07,900
Later I made a call to the Hangzhou MEP and they confirmed this

723
00:40:07,900 --> 00:40:11,100
It's because vehicle ownership per capita in Hangzhou is the highest of all cities in China

724
00:40:11,100 --> 00:40:13,220
On average, there is one car for every two people

725
00:40:13,220 --> 00:40:16,380
So the vehicles of Hangzhou contribute nearly 40% of its air pollution

726
00:40:16,380 --> 00:40:19,500
Do more cars necessarily mean more pollution?

727
00:40:19,500 --> 00:40:20,740
Here's a question we often hear

728
00:40:20,740 --> 00:40:22,420
Aren't there more cars in Tokyo than in Beijing?

729
00:40:22,420 --> 00:40:25,460
Why don't we see such severe pollution in Tokyo?

730
00:40:25,460 --> 00:40:28,260
This is the explanation given by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport:

731
00:40:28,260 --> 00:40:31,940
More than 90% of Tokyo's residents commute by rail

732
00:40:31,940 --> 00:40:34,260
Less than 6% of them drive

733
00:40:34,260 --> 00:40:35,900
What about in Beijing?

734
00:40:35,900 --> 00:40:37,700
34% of Beijing residents drive cars

735
00:40:37,700 --> 00:40:40,260
And they drive in the city center, usually stuck in traffic jams

736
00:40:40,260 --> 00:40:42,620
When they are stuck their cars are idling, doubling the rate of emissions

737
00:40:42,620 --> 00:40:44,980
And when they brake, even more heavy metals are released

738
00:40:44,980 --> 00:40:51,580
So every day during rush hour in Beijing how much PM2.5 is emitted in one hour within the 6th ring?

739
00:40:51,580 --> 00:40:52,300
One ton

740
00:40:53,180 --> 00:40:56,020
How many Beijing residents would drive if they are going less than 5km?

741
00:40:57,740 --> 00:40:59,180
Close to half

742
00:40:59,180 --> 00:41:03,940
12% of all residents would drive within 2km

743
00:41:03,940 --> 00:41:06,660
And 7% would drive within 1km

744
00:41:06,660 --> 00:41:07,740
How far is 1km?

745
00:41:07,740 --> 00:41:10,980
That's just a trip to the supermarket or produce stand

746
00:41:10,980 --> 00:41:13,380
Do we really love driving so much?

747
00:41:13,380 --> 00:41:15,060
Perhaps a few of us do

748
00:41:15,060 --> 00:41:17,420
But there can't be so many irrational people, right?

749
00:41:17,420 --> 00:41:20,002
My family owns a car, but after our child was born we made a rule

750
00:41:20,002 --> 00:41:23,380
basically we would only drive for our parents, our kid, or to the airport or hospital

751
00:41:23,380 --> 00:41:26,820
When my husband goes to work every day, he rides a bicycle

752
00:41:26,820 --> 00:41:29,180
This is how you ride a bicycle in front of our apartment building

753
00:41:30,900 --> 00:41:32,260
That's the only way to ride

754
00:41:32,260 --> 00:41:34,220
Why?

755
00:41:34,220 --> 00:41:36,020
This is our bicycle lane

756
00:41:36,020 --> 00:41:38,700
It's almost always full of cars

757
00:41:38,700 --> 00:41:41,980
Beijing has over 5 million vehicles but only half of them have a parking space

758
00:41:41,980 --> 00:41:46,540
But no car can park mid-air, so you find them in bicycle lanes and on sidewalks

759
00:41:46,540 --> 00:41:48,140
That's how they park

760
00:41:48,140 --> 00:41:50,220
Of course, humanity is the same throughout the world

761
00:41:50,220 --> 00:41:51,820
Without regulations, this can happen anywhere

762
00:41:51,820 --> 00:41:53,580
Let's check London

763
00:41:53,580 --> 00:41:55,540
It seems they also parked like this in the old days

764
00:41:55,540 --> 00:41:58,540
then the parking meters were installed

765
00:41:58,540 --> 00:42:00,220
and they parked like this

766
00:42:00,220 --> 00:42:03,260
Then London raised its parking fee and congestion charge

767
00:42:03,260 --> 00:42:04,740
so they parked like this

768
00:42:04,740 --> 00:42:08,900
A few days ago, I heard they are also trying to raise parking fees in Shenzhen

769
00:42:08,900 --> 00:42:13,980
So the folks in Shenzhen parked like this

770
00:42:13,980 --> 00:42:15,660
The same thing happened in Tokyo 50 years ago

771
00:42:15,660 --> 00:42:16,580
It's not that easy

772
00:42:16,580 --> 00:42:19,740
It took them a long time to clear the cars out of the way one by one

773
00:42:19,740 --> 00:42:22,660
This is a test of meticulous city management

774
00:42:22,660 --> 00:42:24,860
Car lovers have another question

775
00:42:24,860 --> 00:42:29,860
As this photo shows there are no vehicles in Beijing at midnight, are there?

776
00:42:29,860 --> 00:42:32,260
Why is the pollution still so severe?

777
00:42:32,260 --> 00:42:34,860
Is it really caused by cars?

778
00:42:34,860 --> 00:42:39,469
This question also troubled me for a long time, until the Chinese Academy of Sciences showed me this graph

779
00:42:40,700 --> 00:42:44,660
There's always a peak in pollution before dawn in Beijing

780
00:42:44,660 --> 00:42:46,500
It shows up consistently every day

781
00:42:46,500 --> 00:42:50,380
At this peak, carbon emissions are about twice as high as the peak in the afternoon on the same day

782
00:42:50,380 --> 00:42:52,500
So what exactly is this?

783
00:42:52,500 --> 00:42:55,060
I wanted to know as well, so we went to Yanqing district of Beijing

784
00:42:56,000 --> 00:42:58,000
Yanqing - Kangzhuang Toll Station, 2:30am 11 October 2014

785
00:42:59,180 --> 00:43:00,140
Inspector: Halt!

786
00:43:00,140 --> 00:43:02,140
Vehicle type: Futian Aoling

787
00:43:02,140 --> 00:43:04,140
Displayed emissions standard: National Standard 4

788
00:43:04,540 --> 00:43:06,460
This truck doesn't have the basic equipment for a Standard 4

789
00:43:06,460 --> 00:43:08,140
Chai: So in fact it's not a Standard 4 vehicle

790
00:43:08,140 --> 00:43:09,060
Driver: So what should I do?

791
00:43:09,060 --> 00:43:10,340
I just bought this new truck

792
00:43:10,700 --> 00:43:12,140
This is my environmental protection label

793
00:43:12,140 --> 00:43:13,580
It was issued this year

794
00:43:16,000 --> 00:43:17,960
Random inspection of another vehicle

795
00:43:17,960 --> 00:43:19,100
Vehicle type: Chang'an Kaima

796
00:43:19,100 --> 00:43:20,620
Displayed emissions standard: National Standard 3

797
00:43:20,620 --> 00:43:22,020
What does 3.29 mean?

798
00:43:22,020 --> 00:43:23,180
It's above the limit

799
00:43:23,180 --> 00:43:24,420
This is even beyond Standard 1

800
00:43:24,420 --> 00:43:26,420
So it has no emission control device at all?

801
00:43:26,420 --> 00:43:28,140
No, basically no emission control at all

802
00:43:28,140 --> 00:43:28,900
He has the green label

803
00:43:29,380 --> 00:43:30,620
It says Standard 3

804
00:43:30,620 --> 00:43:31,260
Who issued it?

805
00:43:31,260 --> 00:43:33,980
Hebei Province Department of Environmental Protection

806
00:43:33,980 --> 00:43:35,420
When I bought it they said it was Standard 3

807
00:43:35,420 --> 00:43:37,500
How could I know? I was just buying a truck

808
00:43:37,500 --> 00:43:39,500
Finally, the truck was not given an on the spot fine

809
00:43:40,660 --> 00:43:43,500
His truck is on the green channel. It's carrying eggs, milk, and oil

810
00:43:43,500 --> 00:43:48,010
It's part of the city's supply system so according to the regulations, we should not penalize this truck

811
00:43:48,010 --> 00:43:50,300
Li Kunsheng, Director of Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, Vehicular Emissions Department

812
00:43:50,300 --> 00:43:53,700
Fake cars are common, or to put it in more serious terms, fake cars are everywhere

813
00:43:53,700 --> 00:43:55,060
It's a secret kept in automotive industry

814
00:43:55,060 --> 00:43:56,940
90% of environmental protection devices are not installed

815
00:43:56,940 --> 00:43:58,460
So how does that play out in terms of emissions?

816
00:43:58,460 --> 00:44:00,146
If 30,000 noncompliant vehicles enter the city

817
00:44:00,146 --> 00:44:02,860
it's equivalent to several million compliant vehicles on the road at night

818
00:44:04,740 --> 00:44:09,380
What kind of emissions result if emission control devices are not used?

819
00:44:09,380 --> 00:44:12,820
The quantity of particulate emissions from just one vehicle with no safeguards

820
00:44:12,820 --> 00:44:15,980
is 500 times the emissions from a vehicle of National Standard 4

821
00:44:15,980 --> 00:44:18,900
Diesel vehicles do not make up a big proportion of the total, similar to the scrap coal case

822
00:44:18,900 --> 00:44:21,140
There are not many, only 17% of all cars are diesel

823
00:44:21,140 --> 00:44:25,700
but their emissions of nitrogen oxides make up 70% of all vehicle emissions

824
00:44:25,700 --> 00:44:28,540
and as for their proportion of primary particle emissions?

825
00:44:28,540 --> 00:44:30,500
They make up 99%

826
00:44:30,500 --> 00:44:32,020
There's an even scarier aspect to this too

827
00:44:32,020 --> 00:44:36,780
The particulates in diesel vehicle emissions have exceptionally high toxicity

828
00:44:36,780 --> 00:44:38,060
PAHs are carcinogens

829
00:44:38,060 --> 00:44:41,660
But diesel vehicles emit PAHs on steroids

830
00:44:41,660 --> 00:44:45,860
Nitro-PAHs, which are an order of magnitude more carcinogenic

831
00:44:45,860 --> 00:44:47,940
When I saw those drivers of diesel vehicles in Yanqing

832
00:44:47,940 --> 00:44:51,820
I realized that they themselves are the biggest victims of their own diesel emissions

833
00:44:51,820 --> 00:44:54,460
They are a group at very high risk for cancer

834
00:44:54,460 --> 00:44:57,860
Besides, it seems fairly unreasonable to punish these people

835
00:44:57,860 --> 00:45:00,060
They spent their own money

836
00:45:00,060 --> 00:45:02,820
They bought vehicles with legal certificates issued by the government

837
00:45:02,820 --> 00:45:04,460
What reason do we have to fine them?

838
00:45:04,460 --> 00:45:08,900
If we want to lay blame, shouldn't we start with those responsible for manufacturing these fake vehicles?

839
00:45:09,090 --> 00:45:13,920
Chai: Could you explain why the emission devices weren't installed during production?

840
00:45:13,920 --> 00:45:19,330
Boss: Well, there are trucks for export exporting to Africa and other places

841
00:45:19,330 --> 00:45:22,990
There are also National Standard 1 and 2 and European Standard 1 and 2 and 0 as well

842
00:45:22,990 --> 00:45:24,090
And some African ones

843
00:45:24,090 --> 00:45:26,930
But your trucks have National Standard 4 labels on them

844
00:45:26,930 --> 00:45:31,430
Well... perhaps they... export... like if they export

845
00:45:31,430 --> 00:45:32,520
They are sold for export

846
00:45:32,520 --> 00:45:37,120
Ummm... so that's how it happened

847
00:45:37,120 --> 00:45:39,010
You mean you put the wrong labels on by mistake?

848
00:45:39,920 --> 00:45:41,980
Yeah, maybe they stuck, stuck, something of their own

849
00:45:41,980 --> 00:45:43,110
Someone wants the cars

850
00:45:43,110 --> 00:45:45,120
So, so, so, we sold them

851
00:45:45,580 --> 00:45:47,900
I don't know how our African brothers would feel after hearing this

852
00:45:47,900 --> 00:45:51,460
A business always has its rationalizations and reasons

853
00:45:51,460 --> 00:45:54,420
But what makes me curious is for more than ten years

854
00:45:54,420 --> 00:45:56,780
if such fake manufacturers are so common and widespread

855
00:45:56,780 --> 00:45:59,540
and are known by the supervisory departments why aren't they dealt with?

856
00:45:59,540 --> 00:46:01,020
Don't we have laws?

857
00:46:01,020 --> 00:46:04,380
Don't we have regulations to recall defective automotive products?

858
00:46:04,380 --> 00:46:06,300
Such products can surely be recalled, can't they?

859
00:46:06,300 --> 00:46:11,740
However, from 2004 to today how many times has this law been applied to these kinds of vehicles?

860
00:46:11,740 --> 00:46:12,860
Not even once

861
00:46:12,860 --> 00:46:13,780
Why?

862
00:46:13,780 --> 00:46:17,817
This is the answer I got: "Only when the defects pose unreasonable danger

863
00:46:17,817 --> 00:46:22,020
towards the safety of people or their property, can the product be recalled"

864
00:46:22,020 --> 00:46:25,020
They say leaving environmental protection devices out has nothing to do with safety

865
00:46:25,020 --> 00:46:29,100
It won't kill anyone, so there's no reason for a recall

866
00:46:29,100 --> 00:46:31,660
Then do we have the right to impose fines or destroy noncompliant products?

867
00:46:31,660 --> 00:46:32,500
We do

868
00:46:32,500 --> 00:46:34,340
The "Atmospheric Pollution Prevention Act" states that:

869
00:46:34,340 --> 00:46:36,100
You can make these factories stop illegal production

870
00:46:36,100 --> 00:46:38,100
You can fine them, or confiscate and destroy their products

871
00:46:38,100 --> 00:46:40,940
More than ten years have passed since 2002

872
00:46:40,940 --> 00:46:43,580
How many times has this law been used?

873
00:46:43,580 --> 00:46:46,300
Not even once

874
00:46:46,300 --> 00:46:47,180
Why?

875
00:46:47,180 --> 00:46:48,700
This is the answer I got

876
00:46:48,700 --> 00:46:53,500
This law can only be enforced by the departments with the legal right of supervision

877
00:46:53,500 --> 00:46:57,660
Everyone says, "I don't know which department that is."

878
00:46:57,660 --> 00:47:01,540
Since there are only a few departments related to automotive management, I just called them one by one

879
00:47:01,540 --> 00:47:04,220
First I asked the Ministry of Environmental Protection

880
00:47:04,220 --> 00:47:08,340
They said: "As far as we know, it's not us."

881
00:47:08,340 --> 00:47:13,260
Then I asked the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, they said: "It's definitely not us."

882
00:47:13,260 --> 00:47:15,900
Then I asked the General Administration of Quality Supervision and Inspection, they said:

883
00:47:15,900 --> 00:47:18,540
"It should be all three of us."

884
00:47:18,540 --> 00:47:20,380
I think they do have a reason to be confused

885
00:47:20,380 --> 00:47:24,060
Why doesn't the law just clarify who is in charge of this management?

886
00:47:24,060 --> 00:47:25,820
I had to turn to the National People's Congress

887
00:47:25,820 --> 00:47:29,500
So I called the NPC, and this was their reply:

888
00:47:29,500 --> 00:47:33,340
"The issue of this law's execution is indeed unclear"

889
00:47:33,340 --> 00:47:35,540
This is a very rare case in our legislative process

890
00:47:35,540 --> 00:47:38,990
Why would it exist nowhere else but in Article 53 of the Law on Atmosphere?

891
00:47:38,990 --> 00:47:40,170
Ding Yan - Director of MEP Vehicular Pollution Research Institute

892
00:47:40,170 --> 00:47:43,420
We asked them (NPC) back then, "Why did you write the law like this, why not just let us take charge?

893
00:47:43,420 --> 00:47:47,260
They replied that because when they were making this law, many departments opposed it

894
00:47:47,260 --> 00:47:50,140
saying that the MEP should not be in charge, so the bill could not pass

895
00:47:50,140 --> 00:47:53,140
In the end the NPC had to use a vague term to make it pass

896
00:47:53,140 --> 00:47:55,220
So only departments with executive authority can enforce this law

897
00:47:55,220 --> 00:47:58,780
It sounds like all three departments are responsible for supervision, but in reality we cannot control it

898
00:47:58,780 --> 00:48:01,140
Their certificates are all valid, and so are the vehicles' types

899
00:48:01,140 --> 00:48:03,700
The MEP issues them green labels of National Standard 4

900
00:48:03,700 --> 00:48:07,340
but not a single department actually goes out and looks at the cars which are in fact only up to Standard 1

901
00:48:07,340 --> 00:48:10,540
If you (the MEP) assert you have legal authority, no one can deny that, so why not just execute the law?

902
00:48:10,540 --> 00:48:13,820
The MEP is indeed suspected of not doing its best, I admit this

903
00:48:13,820 --> 00:48:16,020
The situation is that we didn't pursue this issue further

904
00:48:16,020 --> 00:48:18,900
So after so many years your law enforcement powers are still completely toothless?

905
00:48:18,900 --> 00:48:21,940
Nowadays I don't dare open my mouth out of fear that people will see I have no teeth

906
00:48:21,940 --> 00:48:24,360
That's the awkward thing about the MEP's situation

907
00:48:25,380 --> 00:48:28,140
This isn't just awkward for the MEP, truck companies are also in an awkward position

908
00:48:28,140 --> 00:48:30,380
The truck company with fake emissions stickers said

909
00:48:30,380 --> 00:48:34,300
If the MEP can enforce the law and impound those "fake" trucks

910
00:48:34,300 --> 00:48:36,460
I guarantee we would build "real" trucks the very next day

911
00:48:36,700 --> 00:48:40,220
Otherwise, if we build "real" trucks and others build "fake" trucks, we would be bankrupt tomorrow

912
00:48:40,220 --> 00:48:43,060
So I asked Ding Yan, do you think this perspective is reasonable?

913
00:48:43,060 --> 00:48:44,140
He said "Yes"

914
00:48:44,140 --> 00:48:46,900
Not enforcing the law forces people to cheat

915
00:48:47,900 --> 00:48:53,860
The truck company owner also said National Standard 4 has already been set and it applies to all new vehicles

916
00:48:53,860 --> 00:48:58,900
But National Standard 4 compliant fuel is still scarce and the fuel quality is not as high as it should be

917
00:48:58,900 --> 00:49:03,060
When we were in Yanqing and randomly checked this diesel truck

918
00:49:03,060 --> 00:49:07,460
The diesel gas came from Beijing and was expected to be of high quality, the highest level in China

919
00:49:07,460 --> 00:49:10,351
But when the diesel test results came out, the sulfur content

920
00:49:10,351 --> 00:49:13,100
was 25 times higher than European, Japanese, and US diesel

921
00:49:13,100 --> 00:49:14,620
That's the top level of quality

922
00:49:14,620 --> 00:49:17,380
What about the quality of our gasoline?

923
00:49:17,380 --> 00:49:20,500
This is a table I got from Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Science

924
00:49:20,500 --> 00:49:24,540
This table pains me every time I look at it because I cannot understand it at all

925
00:49:24,540 --> 00:49:26,260
Fortunately they gave me the conclusion

926
00:49:26,260 --> 00:49:28,231
This shows our national fuel quality is normally

927
00:49:28,231 --> 00:49:30,860
two or three grades lower than fuel found in developed countries

928
00:49:30,860 --> 00:49:34,140
If we can raise our national fuel quality by just one grade we can reduce emissions by 10%

929
00:49:34,140 --> 00:49:35,860
It seems that we have some good fuel available in China

930
00:49:35,860 --> 00:49:39,980
We have Standard 4 and higher quality fuel, but these only make up 3% of China's total fuels

931
00:49:39,980 --> 00:49:41,820
This is Hangzhou's problem

932
00:49:41,820 --> 00:49:44,380
Hangzhou has money and wants to buy high quality fuel

933
00:49:44,380 --> 00:49:46,580
But until 2013 there was no high quality fuel available

934
00:49:46,580 --> 00:49:50,220
Even after a huge effort the best you can manage is Standard 3 fuel

935
00:49:50,220 --> 00:49:55,060
Even in Beijing, it looks like our sulfur content is on the same level as in Europe and America

936
00:49:55,060 --> 00:49:57,220
But look at the four items in this box

937
00:49:57,220 --> 00:50:01,260
These cryptic figures carry a hidden danger

938
00:50:01,260 --> 00:50:05,460
They either increase oxidants in the atmosphere, creating more fine particulates, or increase toxicity

939
00:50:05,460 --> 00:50:07,869
The last item is increasing evaporative pressure

940
00:50:07,869 --> 00:50:10,780
it increases the rate of gasoline evaporation into the air

941
00:50:10,780 --> 00:50:13,540
I originally thought, really, how much can it possibly evaporate?

942
00:50:13,540 --> 00:50:16,620
Then the CRAES expert showed me this clip

943
00:50:16,620 --> 00:50:18,620
This is filmed with an infrared camera

944
00:50:18,620 --> 00:50:21,960
If gas stations don't install a part on the nozzle to recapture gasoline vapor

945
00:50:21,960 --> 00:50:23,460
then this is how much can evaporate

946
00:50:23,460 --> 00:50:27,460
1.5 grams for each liter of gasoline will go into our atmosphere

947
00:50:27,460 --> 00:50:31,100
The gas in the tanks of the cars we all drive also evaporates in the same way

948
00:50:31,100 --> 00:50:32,580
How strong is the evaporative power?

949
00:50:32,580 --> 00:50:42,020
In Beijing, more airborne hydrocarbons come from evaporation than from car emissions

950
00:50:42,020 --> 00:50:45,460
and these substances are a major component of PM2.5

951
00:50:45,460 --> 00:50:48,940
So why don't we make the fuel cleaner right away?

952
00:50:48,940 --> 00:50:52,620
The petrochemical industry told us this

953
00:50:52,620 --> 00:50:55,260
The national standard is set too low

954
00:50:55,260 --> 00:50:57,220
This sentence seems reasonable

955
00:50:57,220 --> 00:51:01,220
How could you reasonably require companies to produce fuel that's better than the official standard? Right?

956
00:51:01,220 --> 00:51:06,060
Then I asked the MEP and CRAES, the people involved in setting the standard

957
00:51:06,060 --> 00:51:08,180
Why don't you set the standard higher?

958
00:51:08,180 --> 00:51:09,300
This is the answer he gave me

959
00:51:09,300 --> 00:51:14,500
The standards subcommittee is actually mostly... yes, mostly made up of people from the oil industry

960
00:51:14,500 --> 00:51:17,180
About 67%

961
00:51:17,180 --> 00:51:19,980
The full standards committee has even more, in the full committee, it's almost...

962
00:51:19,980 --> 00:51:22,580
over 90%, as I recall, are people from this industry

963
00:51:22,580 --> 00:51:24,900
The committee secretariat is also located in the petrochemical industry

964
00:51:24,900 --> 00:51:28,660
Then the head of this standards committee is also a member of the petrochemical industry

965
00:51:28,660 --> 00:51:31,780
I used to think you guys (in Environmental Protection) had a veto right

966
00:51:32,940 --> 00:51:35,580
Yeah, you'd think so, right? (Since we're in) environmental protection?

967
00:51:36,380 --> 00:51:40,340
This dark joke from Yue Xin left a very deep impression on me

968
00:51:40,340 --> 00:51:43,380
He said, "The only time I felt like I even existed was when I came

969
00:51:43,380 --> 00:51:47,860
in the door and wrote my name on the sign-in sheet, because before, I didn't even have a vote."

970
00:51:47,860 --> 00:51:50,980
He said he and his colleagues will do everything they can to push for better fuel quality

971
00:51:50,980 --> 00:51:54,020
But the oil fuel industry has always explained it like this:

972
00:51:54,020 --> 00:51:57,340
Most of the fuel in our country is imported from the Middle East, right?

973
00:51:57,340 --> 00:52:00,140
Well then, most oil from Iran, for example, is high in sulfur

974
00:52:00,140 --> 00:52:05,140
In Tehran, they themselves are also facing problems caused by poor-quality fuel

975
00:52:05,140 --> 00:52:07,020
The smog there is severe

976
00:52:07,020 --> 00:52:10,700
But Iran's problem is they don't have the technology to improve fuel quality

977
00:52:10,700 --> 00:52:13,500
Chinese companies, on the other hand, do have these techniques

978
00:52:13,500 --> 00:52:15,272
Where is the split between government and industry?

979
00:52:15,272 --> 00:52:16,780
Money

980
00:52:16,780 --> 00:52:21,620
From Standard 3 to Standard 4, the MEP says 7 cents per liter is enough

981
00:52:21,620 --> 00:52:24,100
The industry says: no, give me 50 cents

982
00:52:24,100 --> 00:52:29,180
I say, both of you can sit down, show your expenses and calculate how much it should be, it's a simple thing

983
00:52:29,180 --> 00:52:30,660
He had another wry smile

984
00:52:30,660 --> 00:52:34,860
Don't say it's me, go ask the National Development and Reform Commission Economic Department and see

985
00:52:34,860 --> 00:52:35,620
(Source: Anonymous NDRC official)

986
00:52:35,620 --> 00:52:36,660
You can't control them

987
00:52:36,660 --> 00:52:39,420
Say you have an only child, and this child is learning bad behavior

988
00:52:39,420 --> 00:52:41,300
As his mother, what can you do?

989
00:52:41,300 --> 00:52:44,740
All you can do is give him one good beating, but you can't beat him everyday

990
00:52:44,740 --> 00:52:47,380
Somebody else may have 10 kids, so they won't make trouble

991
00:52:47,380 --> 00:52:48,620
They are right in front of you

992
00:52:48,620 --> 00:52:50,780
They don't pay us any mind, these deputy-level units

993
00:52:50,780 --> 00:52:52,780
What can you do about it, are they going to pay any mind to you?

994
00:52:52,780 --> 00:52:55,260
If your department doesn't raise the price this year, next year they'll come knocking

995
00:52:55,260 --> 00:52:57,460
Are you going to raise it or not? If you don't, I'll cut off the supply

996
00:53:00,900 --> 00:53:04,780
I didn't know whether to trust these things the MEP and NDRC said

997
00:53:04,780 --> 00:53:06,580
Is it the truth? Does it have any basis in reality?

998
00:53:06,580 --> 00:53:07,700
So I had to verify it

999
00:53:07,700 --> 00:53:10,780
I reached out to the Head of the National Oil Fuel Standard Committee

1000
00:53:10,780 --> 00:53:13,980
and former Chief Engineer at China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec)

1001
00:53:13,980 --> 00:53:14,980
Mr. Cao Xianghong

1002
00:53:14,980 --> 00:53:17,860
Asking if I can meet him to chat and ask a few questions

1003
00:53:17,860 --> 00:53:19,140
He agreed

1004
00:53:19,520 --> 00:53:23,580
First Question: Why has the process of setting fuel standards been led by the oil industry?

1005
00:53:23,580 --> 00:53:29,740
If the majority of participants come from industry, this might be against the best interest of the public

1006
00:53:29,740 --> 00:53:34,300
When convening a committee to set petroleum product standards, you shouldn't be looking for

1007
00:53:34,300 --> 00:53:36,700
someone who doesn't understand the oil refining business

1008
00:53:36,700 --> 00:53:38,820
People from the MEP don't understand it?

1009
00:53:38,820 --> 00:53:40,500
The MEP, no, I don't believe they understand

1010
00:53:40,720 --> 00:53:43,140
Second Question: Who should set the standard?

1011
00:53:43,220 --> 00:53:47,140
If you set a standard, then when the time comes to improve it, you say it's impossible

1012
00:53:47,140 --> 00:53:49,100
then when the deadline arrives, you say you cannot provide fuel

1013
00:53:49,100 --> 00:53:52,740
Now you may have all sorts of reasons for this, but people may not believe you

1014
00:53:52,740 --> 00:53:56,180
But if Sinopec doesn't take the lead in drafting this who else is there to draft it?

1015
00:53:56,180 --> 00:53:59,636
Well firstly, some countries' environmental protection agencies have people who understand the industry

1016
00:53:59,636 --> 00:54:00,100
Yes

1017
00:54:00,100 --> 00:54:02,132
Second, before they submit the draft

1018
00:54:02,132 --> 00:54:06,820
they take plenty of time with industry people to understand, communicate and debate

1019
00:54:07,460 --> 00:54:12,780
At the very end, their health reports, economic reports, these are all provided in full to the committee

1020
00:54:12,780 --> 00:54:15,860
And then through an open, public process, they let everyone judge it for themselves

1021
00:54:15,860 --> 00:54:19,300
They all have opportunities to express their opinions and debate with one another

1022
00:54:19,300 --> 00:54:22,300
If it's done with this method, do you think you could consider accepting that?

1023
00:54:22,300 --> 00:54:26,180
I could accept that... I've wanted to give up this Standards Committee chairmanship for quite a long time

1024
00:54:26,180 --> 00:54:26,660
Really?

1025
00:54:26,660 --> 00:54:27,300
Really

1026
00:54:27,300 --> 00:54:29,820
People on the outside say, "You're too partial to Sinopec."

1027
00:54:29,820 --> 00:54:32,300
But then Sinopec says, "Stop biting the hand that feeds you."

1028
00:54:32,300 --> 00:54:33,540
You can't satisfy everyone

1029
00:54:33,540 --> 00:54:36,160
Third Question: Why won't you publicize the costs of upgrading our fuel?

1030
00:54:36,220 --> 00:54:40,980
Can you publish either your input costs or upgrade costs, and show it to the public?

1031
00:54:40,980 --> 00:54:45,460
In society nowadays, naturally when it comes to Sinopec, or the China National Petroleum Corporation

1032
00:54:45,460 --> 00:54:47,540
people have a feeling of mistrust

1033
00:54:47,540 --> 00:54:48,900
Do you feel this mistrust–

1034
00:54:48,900 --> 00:54:50,500
Many people don't bother with rational discussion

1035
00:54:50,500 --> 00:54:54,660
if there is some tiny flaw, they will blow it up into something huge, it just makes matters worse

1036
00:54:54,660 --> 00:54:56,060
It's better to not say anything at all

1037
00:54:56,230 --> 00:54:58,900
Fourth Question: Can we raise the standard and force a fuel upgrade?

1038
00:54:58,940 --> 00:55:04,780
Many people will say why don't we raise the standard a bit and force improvement in the fuel quality?

1039
00:55:04,780 --> 00:55:08,940
If there were an interruption to the fuel supply resulting in social instability

1040
00:55:08,940 --> 00:55:10,220
There would be turmoil in our society

1041
00:55:10,220 --> 00:55:13,740
Then would it be possible to fully open the market for finished petroleum products?

1042
00:55:13,740 --> 00:55:15,940
That would eliminate the possibility of interruptions to the fuel supply

1043
00:55:15,940 --> 00:55:18,380
If it wasn't done right, it could be a disaster

1044
00:55:18,380 --> 00:55:20,740
Not every Tom, Dick, and Harry can run a fuel company

1045
00:55:20,740 --> 00:55:23,740
Then he might think why can only Sinopec and CNPC make money?

1046
00:55:23,740 --> 00:55:25,060
Everybody else can make money too

1047
00:55:25,060 --> 00:55:26,540
Yes, everybody can make money

1048
00:55:26,540 --> 00:55:31,060
So I agree with deepening reform and gradual opening up

1049
00:55:31,060 --> 00:55:33,740
If the government wants to decide and push through this kind of reform

1050
00:55:33,740 --> 00:55:36,860
Then they should do some research first and find out what kind of risks there might be

1051
00:55:36,860 --> 00:55:39,950
Fifth Question: Can [oil companies] take on more social responsibility?

1052
00:55:40,020 --> 00:55:44,500
Many people will say, Sinopec is already a Fortune 500 global company

1053
00:55:44,500 --> 00:55:47,780
It's just announced an income of 2 trillion RMB ($319 billion) last year

1054
00:55:47,780 --> 00:55:51,220
It's a large state-owned company

1055
00:55:51,220 --> 00:55:56,900
So, when it comes to environmental issues why can't it take on more of its own social responsibility?

1056
00:55:59,300 --> 00:56:01,340
Sinopec is huge

1057
00:56:01,340 --> 00:56:03,140
Like a person

1058
00:56:03,140 --> 00:56:04,740
Very big

1059
00:56:04,740 --> 00:56:06,820
But it's all fat and no muscle

1060
00:56:06,820 --> 00:56:11,780
Petroleum companies all over the world will try to protect the interests of their industry

1061
00:56:11,780 --> 00:56:14,700
That's the nature of a corporation and it's not going to change

1062
00:56:14,700 --> 00:56:17,900
We wanted to know in other countries, who sets the fuel standards?

1063
00:56:17,900 --> 00:56:21,500
This is our conclusion so far:

1064
00:56:21,500 --> 00:56:25,294
In Australia, Korea, Japan, Mexico, and Canada

1065
00:56:25,294 --> 00:56:28,046
environmental agencies are basically in charge of setting the standards

1066
00:56:28,046 --> 00:56:32,220
Even in the EU, where the European Standards Committee decides, they hear from industry associations

1067
00:56:32,220 --> 00:56:36,340
But there's never been a case when the petrochemical industry actually led the standards process

1068
00:56:37,620 --> 00:56:42,540
But why are fuel quality standards in China set by the oil industry?

1069
00:56:42,540 --> 00:56:45,460
Each country's choice is rooted in its history

1070
00:56:45,460 --> 00:56:49,020
In the 1960s, China was facing an extreme gasoline shortage

1071
00:56:49,020 --> 00:56:52,940
Buses on Chang'an Street, Beijing's busiest street, carried big bags of diesel on the roof during operation

1072
00:56:52,940 --> 00:56:55,820
We were a long way from worrying about environmental standards for gasoline

1073
00:56:55,820 --> 00:56:59,917
The MEP didn't exist at the time, so the Petrochemical Research Institute

1074
00:56:59,917 --> 00:57:03,060
under the Ministry of Petroleum regulated fuel standards

1075
00:57:03,060 --> 00:57:06,300
In 1983 as part of institutional reforms, the Ministry of Petroleum was dissolved

1076
00:57:06,300 --> 00:57:08,900
and the Petrochemical Research Institute became a department of Sinopec

1077
00:57:08,900 --> 00:57:12,460
With that, the government ministry's role in regulating fuel standards was handed to a corporation

1078
00:57:12,460 --> 00:57:15,460
In the year 2005, the first Chinese Petrochemical Standards Committee was founded

1079
00:57:15,460 --> 00:57:18,220
and the oil industry naturally took on a leading role in the group

1080
00:57:18,220 --> 00:57:23,060
For the past ten years China has been faced with soaring needs for both fuel quality and fuel quantity

1081
00:57:23,060 --> 00:57:26,340
China faces an unprecedented challenge with pressing needs in both respects

1082
00:57:26,340 --> 00:57:28,940
As the Chinese economy develops further, environmental protection is receiving more attention

1083
00:57:28,940 --> 00:57:34,900
With the Chinese public calling for higher fuel standards real changes have been made within the CPSC

1084
00:57:34,900 --> 00:57:37,740
Although members from the oil industries still make up over half of the committee

1085
00:57:37,740 --> 00:57:41,620
the number of members from outside the oil industry has increased during the past two years

1086
00:57:41,620 --> 00:57:43,860
The committee has also set up a voting system

1087
00:57:43,860 --> 00:57:46,916
In the end, each country's standards for oil and gasoline quality

1088
00:57:46,916 --> 00:57:50,020
emerge from balancing the needs of the economy and the environment

1089
00:57:50,020 --> 00:57:53,380
Future changes to the CPSC will emerge from this balancing act

1090
00:57:57,380 --> 00:58:00,520
In China, in addition to the low oil standards there is

1091
00:58:00,520 --> 00:58:04,460
another problem that I could never have imagined before I started out

1092
00:58:04,460 --> 00:58:08,820
That is, half of the oil in China is completely unregulated

1093
00:58:08,820 --> 00:58:12,900
Out of the world's top ten ports, seven are in China

1094
00:58:12,900 --> 00:58:17,820
Ocean-going cargo vessels cause so much pollution that within 400 meters of the coast

1095
00:58:17,820 --> 00:58:20,980
emissions from ships are equivalent to emissions from 500,000 trucks

1096
00:58:20,980 --> 00:58:25,460
So, in Shenzhen, 60% of the sulfur dioxide is from ships

1097
00:58:25,460 --> 00:58:28,900
Maybe you don't live by a harbor, but you do live by a river

1098
00:58:28,900 --> 00:58:34,140
There are more than 200,000 boats like this in China burning heavy oil of the lowest quality

1099
00:58:34,140 --> 00:58:35,620
How polluting can it get?

1100
00:58:35,620 --> 00:58:38,980
At some harbors, you can even pick up grains of black carbon with your hand

1101
00:58:38,980 --> 00:58:41,460
Or maybe you live near an airport

1102
00:58:41,460 --> 00:58:46,020
When a plane takes off, that's one ton of kerosene burned and when it lands, that's another ton

1103
00:58:46,020 --> 00:58:50,860
So, at Baiyun Airport in Guangzhou, the daily emissions are equivalent to emissions from 600,000 taxis

1104
00:58:52,460 --> 00:58:56,580
Maybe you don't live by a harbor, along a river, or near an airport

1105
00:58:56,580 --> 00:58:58,900
but you've certainly seen vehicles like this

1106
00:58:58,900 --> 00:59:01,060
These are construction vehicles

1107
00:59:01,060 --> 00:59:04,860
Once in Hebei province I saw one of these and I thought something up ahead was on fire

1108
00:59:04,860 --> 00:59:07,620
When I overtook it on the road, I realized it was the source of that black smoke

1109
00:59:07,620 --> 00:59:10,320
Then we followed it into a village

1110
00:59:10,320 --> 00:59:12,900
The entrance of the village looked like this (Sign: Diesel)

1111
00:59:12,900 --> 00:59:18,020
We saw a small room at the entrance with villagers playing mahjong and selling lottery tickets

1112
00:59:18,020 --> 00:59:20,300
They sold diesel and coal slurry, too

1113
00:59:20,300 --> 00:59:22,500
I had no idea where the diesel came from

1114
00:59:22,500 --> 00:59:28,100
I was with some officials from the MEP and they suggested we should go investigate

1115
00:59:28,100 --> 00:59:33,700
So they bought a diesel can on the spot and then went into the nearest privately-owned gas station

1116
00:59:33,700 --> 00:59:36,180
I was the last one out of the car and by the time I got out

1117
00:59:36,180 --> 00:59:39,010
the official's government ID had already been taken away by the station owner

1118
00:59:39,840 --> 00:59:42,970
Station Owner: You... you guys... what do you want...

1119
00:59:42,970 --> 00:59:44,980
I'm... I'm not giving (your ID) back

1120
00:59:44,980 --> 00:59:46,910
Environment Officer: (We are from) the EPB enforcement

1121
00:59:46,910 --> 00:59:48,160
EPB enforcement? What are you doing here?

1122
00:59:48,160 --> 00:59:49,570
This is a random inspection

1123
00:59:49,570 --> 00:59:51,120
You... You want to inspect? Inspect what...?

1124
00:59:51,120 --> 00:59:53,000
No... What right do you EPB guys have to take samples for investigation...

1125
00:59:53,000 --> 00:59:54,000
EPB... do... do... do... do you even have...?

1126
00:59:54,000 --> 00:59:55,120
We're going to run a test

1127
00:59:55,120 --> 00:59:56,810
No no no... You EPB guys have... what is this...

1128
00:59:56,810 --> 00:59:58,930
Yes, yes, of course we have the authority to monitor diesel quality

1129
00:59:58,930 --> 00:59:59,940
there is... the Technical Monitoring Authority...

1130
00:59:59,940 --> 01:00:01,980
Diesel Quality Monitoring Authority... governed by the Oil Union Authority

1131
01:00:01,980 --> 01:00:02,980
The EPB has the authority too

1132
01:00:02,980 --> 01:00:04,980
Environmental Protection... This is the first time I've heard of it, what does the EPB care?

1133
01:00:04,980 --> 01:00:07,830
Let me tell you... you... take... take... take the sample... take a prepared sample

1134
01:00:07,830 --> 01:00:10,680
Yes... there is this... Technical Monitoring Authority... there is this... that...

1135
01:00:10,680 --> 01:00:12,440
Yes... there's the "Air Pollution Prevention Act"

1136
01:00:12,440 --> 01:00:13,730
"Air Pollution Prevention Act?"

1137
01:00:13,730 --> 01:00:15,220
"The EPB has the obligation and authority..."

1138
01:00:15,220 --> 01:00:18,530
You... have the obligation... you have the obligation, but not the authority

1139
01:00:19,020 --> 01:00:22,740
When the owner finished that sentence each of us was left speechless

1140
01:00:22,740 --> 01:00:26,100
All we could do was take our diesel can and leave

1141
01:00:26,100 --> 01:00:28,380
He'd put it so ruthlessly

1142
01:00:28,380 --> 01:00:30,900
From coal, to oil, and on down the list

1143
01:00:30,900 --> 01:00:33,580
We consume so much coal and oil

1144
01:00:33,580 --> 01:00:36,620
Our coal and oil quality is relatively low

1145
01:00:36,620 --> 01:00:41,020
We don't do enough to clean it and when we emit, we don't regulate that enough either

1146
01:00:41,020 --> 01:00:44,820
All along, I have wanted to know why until this gas station owner

1147
01:00:44,820 --> 01:00:49,340
Without even realizing it himself, in a single sentence cut straight to the heart of the matter

1148
01:00:55,170 --> 01:00:56,300
Less than half of our coal is washed

1149
01:00:56,300 --> 01:00:57,140
There are no restrictions

1150
01:00:57,140 --> 01:00:57,860
There are no standards

1151
01:00:57,860 --> 01:00:59,020
There are no national regulations

1152
01:00:59,200 --> 01:01:00,090
Requirements for coal washing: none

1153
01:01:00,140 --> 01:01:02,460
What about the steel industry in Hebei?

1154
01:01:02,460 --> 01:01:05,420
It's reached the point where nothing can stop them

1155
01:01:05,420 --> 01:01:06,700
Polluting companies: unstoppable

1156
01:01:06,700 --> 01:01:08,940
The operators of this truck have not been fined

1157
01:01:08,940 --> 01:01:11,320
No penalties have been applied in 14 years? No, never

1158
01:01:11,320 --> 01:01:13,140
Over-emitting vehicles: responsibility unclear, cannot be recalled

1159
01:01:13,140 --> 01:01:14,900
Over 90% are individuals from the petrochemical industry

1160
01:01:14,900 --> 01:01:17,420
I don't think the environmental protection authorities understand

1161
01:01:17,420 --> 01:01:18,340
Petroleum standards: unregulatable

1162
01:01:18,340 --> 01:01:19,980
This is the conundrum of environmental protection

1163
01:01:19,980 --> 01:01:21,460
Now I don't dare open my mouth

1164
01:01:21,460 --> 01:01:22,740
I fear that people will see I have no teeth

1165
01:01:22,740 --> 01:01:24,740
The EPD has the authority and obligation

1166
01:01:24,740 --> 01:01:26,900
You have the obligation, but not the authority

1167
01:01:26,900 --> 01:01:28,900
Petroleum product quality: no inspection authority

1168
01:01:28,900 --> 01:01:30,900
"Isn't that the conundrum of environmental protection?"

1169
01:01:31,020 --> 01:01:36,820
So one night there was an environmental protection professional who sent me this photo

1170
01:01:38,860 --> 01:01:41,820
This is a photo taken in 1999

1171
01:01:41,820 --> 01:01:43,220
He graduated from university that year

1172
01:01:43,220 --> 01:01:46,740
He said he was motivated by a calling, so he went to work for the Environmental Protection Bureau

1173
01:01:46,740 --> 01:01:48,620
He wanted to make a difference

1174
01:01:48,620 --> 01:01:54,740
He said, "Sometimes, I feel like I'm nothing more than a mascot."

1175
01:01:54,740 --> 01:01:55,740
So I tried to console him

1176
01:01:55,740 --> 01:01:57,540
I asked, "Why do you think so?"

1177
01:01:57,540 --> 01:02:03,580
He said, "You are an investigative reporter you must know this better than me"

1178
01:02:03,580 --> 01:02:06,540
2004 interview: Ren Baoming - Legal representative, Hongta Coal Washing & Coking Factory

1179
01:02:06,540 --> 01:02:09,060
Suppose you didn't get government approval for land use, would you still build?

1180
01:02:10,420 --> 01:02:11,380
We wouldn't dare

1181
01:02:11,940 --> 01:02:14,780
What about the Administration for Industry and Commerce, or the Taxation Bureau

1182
01:02:14,780 --> 01:02:15,540
Would you still build?

1183
01:02:15,540 --> 01:02:16,900
No, no

1184
01:02:16,900 --> 01:02:18,500
So why, when you don't have EPB approval, it's all fine?

1185
01:02:18,500 --> 01:02:20,420
We should have EPB approval

1186
01:02:20,420 --> 01:02:20,980
We ought to

1187
01:02:20,980 --> 01:02:21,940
Eventually, we will get it

1188
01:02:22,740 --> 01:02:23,820
Eventually, we will get it

1189
01:02:23,820 --> 01:02:24,540
Exactly

1190
01:02:24,540 --> 01:02:26,240
Zeng Shumao - Bureau Chief, Xiaoyi City EPB, Shanxi

1191
01:02:26,240 --> 01:02:28,610
Did you know about these situations?

1192
01:02:28,610 --> 01:02:32,860
We have taken steps On-site checking, inquiries and records then impose a penalty

1193
01:02:32,860 --> 01:02:35,740
But the fact is he still went ahead and built, and even went into production

1194
01:02:36,180 --> 01:02:38,300
We finished the procedure that was required

1195
01:02:38,300 --> 01:02:40,100
We issued the Letter of Penalty that was required

1196
01:02:41,180 --> 01:02:43,820
There is nothing we can do if the enterprises do not stop

1197
01:02:43,820 --> 01:02:44,900
This is a kind of helplessness

1198
01:02:44,900 --> 01:02:47,180
Then what you've got here should be considered illegal construction

1199
01:02:47,700 --> 01:02:49,780
Oh well, it's hard to find factories that do not violate regulations

1200
01:02:49,780 --> 01:02:51,320
Zhang Xuguang - Mayor, Xiaoyi City, Shanxi

1201
01:02:51,323 --> 01:02:54,810
The government's attitude towards coal coking is always cool-headed

1202
01:02:54,814 --> 01:02:59,180
After we took steps, previous trends were stopped by us

1203
01:02:59,180 --> 01:03:00,500
They were stopped

1204
01:03:00,500 --> 01:03:03,540
If they stopped, why are there more than 30 projects still violating regulations?

1205
01:03:03,540 --> 01:03:07,420
As the Xiaoyi municipal government, our attitude is clear and firm

1206
01:03:07,420 --> 01:03:08,900
If your attitude is clear and firm

1207
01:03:08,900 --> 01:03:11,820
Then not one of these unlawful projects should have been started

1208
01:03:12,981 --> 01:03:15,260
Liu Xiangdong - Bureau Chief, Shanxi Provincial Environmental Protection Bureau

1209
01:03:15,260 --> 01:03:18,860
This cat, it's the local government's cat

1210
01:03:18,860 --> 01:03:23,620
Whether this cat can catch mice or not and how many mice it can catch, is decided by the local government

1211
01:03:23,620 --> 01:03:24,740
It is not decided by the EPB

1212
01:03:24,740 --> 01:03:29,620
We walked for hundreds of meters along the coastline and saw the same black chemical silt

1213
01:03:29,620 --> 01:03:31,980
We could smell 4-5 different kinds of chemicals

1214
01:03:31,980 --> 01:03:35,600
The odor here is the kind of smell that stings your nose, what is that?

1215
01:03:35,600 --> 01:03:37,570
Chen Zhiming - Vice General Manager, Zhejiang Haizheng Pharmaceutical

1216
01:03:37,570 --> 01:03:39,420
My sense of smell may not be as sensitive as yours

1217
01:03:40,220 --> 01:03:41,660
You said that you cannot smell it

1218
01:03:44,380 --> 01:03:49,580
My sensitivity is not as good as yours

1219
01:03:52,580 --> 01:03:56,260
If you cut all the costs of environmental protection measures from producing one ton of steel

1220
01:03:56,260 --> 01:04:00,140
you could save 100 RMB ($16) per ton

1221
01:04:00,140 --> 01:04:03,580
For one ton of coal, you could save 156 RMB ($25)

1222
01:04:03,580 --> 01:04:08,620
On one truck, if you avoid installing any environmental protection equipment you can save 20,000 RMB ($3,200)

1223
01:04:08,620 --> 01:04:13,660
If you avoid upgrading petroleum products by a single grade you can save 50 billion RMB ($8 billion)

1224
01:04:13,660 --> 01:04:16,940
10 years ago I asked what the smell in the air was

1225
01:04:16,940 --> 01:04:19,380
I received no answer

1226
01:04:19,380 --> 01:04:21,620
Now I know

1227
01:04:21,620 --> 01:04:24,580
It's the stink of money

1228
01:04:24,580 --> 01:04:28,380
In that interview I recorded years ago the local secretary said to me:

1229
01:04:28,380 --> 01:04:32,420
"You absolutely must film my achievements in pollution management!"

1230
01:04:32,420 --> 01:04:34,300
So he made me film this clip

1231
01:04:39,340 --> 01:04:42,740
He was quite satisfied and said

1232
01:04:42,740 --> 01:04:47,140
"Miss Chai, I demolished this smokestack especially for you!"

1233
01:04:47,140 --> 01:04:48,980
3 years later, I went there again

1234
01:04:48,980 --> 01:04:52,100
An even larger smokestack had been built in the same place

1235
01:04:52,100 --> 01:04:53,540
Actually, smoke scrubbers were installed

1236
01:04:53,540 --> 01:04:55,780
But when I asked: "Have the scrubbers ever been used?"

1237
01:04:55,780 --> 01:04:57,860
The manager rubbed his hands together, and answered, "Yes... Soon, soon."

1238
01:05:00,060 --> 01:05:01,620
At that time the local secretary said to me:

1239
01:05:01,620 --> 01:05:03,740
"Everyone tells me, 'Environmental Protection, Environmental Protection...'

1240
01:05:03,740 --> 01:05:07,500
Let me ask you, who would dare slow down China's economic development?"

1241
01:05:07,500 --> 01:05:11,900
I was also keen to know the answer, so 10 years later I visited a steel market in Hebei Province

1242
01:05:13,380 --> 01:05:16,540
When I went in it was quite empty

1243
01:05:16,540 --> 01:05:20,300
The raw steel was already rusting, hidden in the wild grass

1244
01:05:20,300 --> 01:05:22,780
Some of it had even become birds' nests

1245
01:05:22,780 --> 01:05:25,380
I asked this young steel salesman:

1246
01:05:25,380 --> 01:05:26,900
"How is your business?"

1247
01:05:26,900 --> 01:05:29,660
He replied: "Do you see any trucks coming to carry the steel?"

1248
01:05:29,660 --> 01:05:34,460
He said, "So many steel enterprises all produce completely identical, low-end products

1249
01:05:34,460 --> 01:05:37,940
They compete with each other only on the basis of quantity and price

1250
01:05:37,940 --> 01:05:40,060
At this point I'd rather be selling cabbages!"

1251
01:05:41,700 --> 01:05:45,700
When we produce one ton of steel how many resources will we consume?

1252
01:05:47,580 --> 01:05:49,020
600 kilograms of coal

1253
01:05:49,020 --> 01:05:50,380
3 to 6 tons of water

1254
01:05:50,380 --> 01:05:51,700
And what pollutants will we emit?

1255
01:05:51,700 --> 01:05:53,060
1.53 kilograms of sulfur dioxide

1256
01:05:53,060 --> 01:05:54,780
1 kilogram of smoke and soot

1257
01:05:54,780 --> 01:05:58,740
And what is the profit for producing one ton of steel?

1258
01:05:58,740 --> 01:05:59,740
You can take a guess

1259
01:06:02,220 --> 01:06:03,060
How much?

1260
01:06:04,260 --> 01:06:05,300
RMB 1000 ($160)?

1261
01:06:06,580 --> 01:06:09,180
Not even enough to buy a pickled egg

1262
01:06:09,180 --> 01:06:14,220
In 2014, profit from one ton of steel was less than 2 RMB ($0.30)

1263
01:06:14,220 --> 01:06:16,100
What about when we burn one ton of coal?

1264
01:06:16,100 --> 01:06:18,340
How much pollution will we release?

1265
01:06:18,340 --> 01:06:19,580
1.53 kilograms of sulfur dioxide

1266
01:06:19,580 --> 01:06:21,020
3 to 9 kilograms of nitrogen dioxide

1267
01:06:21,020 --> 01:06:22,380
2 kilograms of carbon monoxide

1268
01:06:22,380 --> 01:06:23,540
9-11 kilograms of soot

1269
01:06:23,540 --> 01:06:27,700
Can you guess how much profit there is in one ton of coal?

1270
01:06:27,700 --> 01:06:29,980
Two pickled eggs?

1271
01:06:29,980 --> 01:06:31,980
You're still overestimating

1272
01:06:31,980 --> 01:06:35,300
You couldn't even afford a soda

1273
01:06:35,300 --> 01:06:40,460
Of our 36 different heavy industries, 22 are in serious overproduction

1274
01:06:40,460 --> 01:06:43,580
Mr Cao Xianghong from Sinopec said one thing that was very accurate:

1275
01:06:43,580 --> 01:06:48,140
"It's like a person who looks big, but it's all fat and no muscle."

1276
01:06:48,140 --> 01:06:53,940
But these enterprises are still receiving large subsidies

1277
01:06:53,940 --> 01:06:57,660
You can see here, between 2011-2013

1278
01:06:57,660 --> 01:07:02,100
the government has given these publicly traded steel companies this many subsidies

1279
01:07:02,100 --> 01:07:05,095
In order to prevent one of the companies from being taken off the stock exchange

1280
01:07:05,095 --> 01:07:06,780
the government subsidized it every other year

1281
01:07:06,780 --> 01:07:07,980
How much has it been subsidized?

1282
01:07:07,980 --> 01:07:11,940
Tens, thousands, ten thousands, billions...

1283
01:07:13,300 --> 01:07:16,220
2 billion RMB ($320 million)

1284
01:07:16,220 --> 01:07:19,180
Two years later, another 2 billion RMB

1285
01:07:19,180 --> 01:07:23,401
Another one of these companies, which had already posted severe losses

1286
01:07:23,401 --> 01:07:26,900
hung a slogan in their office after receiving the subsidy:

1287
01:07:26,909 --> 01:07:33,020
"With intense struggle and indomitable spirit, we vow that our steel will be 100 RMB ($16) cheaper than XX Corporation's."

1288
01:07:33,020 --> 01:07:37,340
That's why the Deputy Head of the Central Bank, Mr Liu Shiyu, has called these companies ‘zombie companies'

1289
01:07:37,340 --> 01:07:39,540
They are consuming huge amounts of financial resources

1290
01:07:39,540 --> 01:07:42,780
They are going to bring a huge amount of unforeseeable risk to our real economy

1291
01:07:42,780 --> 01:07:45,220
And these companies are still expanding, even now

1292
01:07:45,220 --> 01:07:47,900
Two days ago I received a letter from a little girl

1293
01:07:47,900 --> 01:07:53,540
She said to me, a coke plant near her home is expanding and is going to demolish her family's house

1294
01:07:53,540 --> 01:07:56,020
Her dad refused to agree, and so he was beaten

1295
01:07:56,020 --> 01:07:57,500
She hoped I could help her

1296
01:07:59,140 --> 01:08:01,620
This is the same little girl I interviewed ten years ago

1297
01:08:01,620 --> 01:08:04,220
Little Wang Huiqing, who had never seen stars or white clouds

1298
01:08:04,220 --> 01:08:05,740
I asked her, "How is your health these days?"

1299
01:08:05,740 --> 01:08:09,580
She told me, "Auntie, I can't worry about my health now. I just want my whole family to have a place to live."

1300
01:08:11,140 --> 01:08:13,086
Thank goodness, when I gave her a call two days ago

1301
01:08:13,086 --> 01:08:16,140
she said the owner of the coke plant had just been taken away by the authorities

1302
01:08:17,980 --> 01:08:21,220
But, as for these industries that are already considered to be in serious overproduction

1303
01:08:21,220 --> 01:08:23,860
in half the provinces of China, they are still listed as ‘key industries'

1304
01:08:23,860 --> 01:08:26,380
in the 12th Five-Year Plan for economic development

1305
01:08:26,380 --> 01:08:28,380
There is a simple underlying reason

1306
01:08:28,380 --> 01:08:30,491
If we urbanize and continue to develop we only need to

1307
01:08:30,491 --> 01:08:33,580
increase urbanization by 1% and all this excess supply could easily be consumed

1308
01:08:33,580 --> 01:08:35,340
Where there is construction, there is demand for steel

1309
01:08:35,340 --> 01:08:36,980
Where there is road construction, there will be cars

1310
01:08:36,980 --> 01:08:37,500
Right?

1311
01:08:38,820 --> 01:08:40,780
Mr Jiang from Tsinghua University told me

1312
01:08:40,780 --> 01:08:44,340
China's urban development is itself in a severe state of over-production

1313
01:08:44,340 --> 01:08:46,820
The situation is even worse than in industry

1314
01:08:46,820 --> 01:08:49,660
I didn't really believe it because I feel like over the past 30 years

1315
01:08:49,660 --> 01:08:53,220
social changes in ordinary families such as mine and improvement in general living standards

1316
01:08:53,220 --> 01:08:55,020
were all achieved thanks to urbanization

1317
01:08:55,940 --> 01:09:00,060
When I was young my little sister and I grew up in a traditional house

1318
01:09:00,060 --> 01:09:03,100
It had 300 years of history and housed a dozen families

1319
01:09:03,100 --> 01:09:06,780
Later, our living conditions improved when we moved into housing provided by my mom's work unit

1320
01:09:06,780 --> 01:09:10,860
The accommodation we were given was 12 square meters and housed five of us

1321
01:09:10,860 --> 01:09:16,540
When we slept at night, we added a wooden plank to the bed frame and propped it up with a chair

1322
01:09:16,540 --> 01:09:17,860
Then it became a double bed

1323
01:09:19,140 --> 01:09:20,940
This was the window of my bedroom

1324
01:09:20,940 --> 01:09:23,100
Wasn't it nice?

1325
01:09:23,100 --> 01:09:27,460
In reality the bedroom was very small, there was no window so I could only hang a picture on the wall

1326
01:09:27,460 --> 01:09:30,500
It represented the fantasies of a very young creative spirit

1327
01:09:32,460 --> 01:09:35,020
This picture was taken when I was about to go off to university

1328
01:09:35,020 --> 01:09:36,500
It shows what our county seat looked like

1329
01:09:36,500 --> 01:09:39,060
I used to walk to school along this road

1330
01:09:39,060 --> 01:09:41,340
This is what it was like back in those days

1331
01:09:41,340 --> 01:09:43,387
The changes in living standards my family saw over the years

1332
01:09:43,387 --> 01:09:45,980
proves that there are millions of households all in need of new construction

1333
01:09:45,980 --> 01:09:46,860
(Mr Jiang) asked me

1334
01:09:46,860 --> 01:09:48,820
"Hasn't it been a long time since you last went back to Shanxi?"

1335
01:09:48,820 --> 01:09:49,660
I said he was right

1336
01:09:49,660 --> 01:09:51,460
He said, "Why don't you go back and have a look?"

1337
01:09:51,460 --> 01:09:56,540
This year I took my child to visit Shanxi and took this video with my phone along the way

1338
01:10:08,790 --> 01:10:13,960
(Billboards advertising new apartment complexes)

1339
01:10:49,860 --> 01:10:55,340
I am happy to see some changes in my hometown, because people there need wealth and development

1340
01:10:55,340 --> 01:11:00,940
But what surprises me is that I saw so many real estate ads in the city, and so many construction sites

1341
01:11:00,940 --> 01:11:02,380
But they're empty

1342
01:11:02,420 --> 01:11:05,004
I then asked a relative who has invested a lot in the local housing market

1343
01:11:05,004 --> 01:11:07,100
how many flats in this particular development have been sold

1344
01:11:07,100 --> 01:11:08,660
He said, only 20-30% have been sold

1345
01:11:08,660 --> 01:11:10,140
I asked, "How come they've sold so few?"

1346
01:11:10,140 --> 01:11:11,660
He hesitated and said:

1347
01:11:11,660 --> 01:11:13,765
"Since the real name policy was implemented for government officials

1348
01:11:13,765 --> 01:11:15,500
buying real estate, they haven't been selling too well."

1349
01:11:15,500 --> 01:11:21,180
(My relative) booked a local hotel for my family I was so shocked when I arrived at the hotel gate

1350
01:11:21,180 --> 01:11:27,380
because it claims to be a "five-star hotel" and I was booked into the "Presidential Suite"

1351
01:11:27,380 --> 01:11:28,460
I said, "No you don't have to!"

1352
01:11:28,460 --> 01:11:29,540
He said, "Don't worry

1353
01:11:29,540 --> 01:11:33,300
It only costs 200 RMB ($32 USD)."

1354
01:11:33,300 --> 01:11:39,940
We drove our car into the parking lot and it didn't have a single light, it was in total darkness

1355
01:11:39,940 --> 01:11:44,100
And then this middle-aged guy came along carrying a big flashlight to light our way

1356
01:11:44,100 --> 01:11:46,420
He guided us into the hotel lobby

1357
01:11:46,420 --> 01:11:49,700
He then continued to use his big flashlight and led us down the corridors to our room

1358
01:11:49,700 --> 01:11:53,580
There were no lights in the entire hotel because nobody was staying in it

1359
01:11:55,460 --> 01:11:57,980
When I got back to Beijing, I brought this up with Professor Jiang

1360
01:11:57,980 --> 01:12:01,940
He told me, "The Shanxi that you witnessed is a microcosm of the rest of the country

1361
01:12:01,940 --> 01:12:05,100
In China we lose 80 traditional villages everyday

1362
01:12:05,100 --> 01:12:07,940
Houses have an average lifespan of a mere 30 years

1363
01:12:07,940 --> 01:12:10,420
There are more than 200 municipalities in China

1364
01:12:10,420 --> 01:12:14,220
184 of which have plans to become so-called "international metropolises"

1365
01:12:14,220 --> 01:12:15,580
We have a population of 1.3 billion

1366
01:12:15,580 --> 01:12:20,460
If we take into account the plans laid out by these municipalities the population adds up to 3.4 billion

1367
01:12:21,340 --> 01:12:24,500
I came to Beijing carrying a small suitcase in 1998

1368
01:12:24,500 --> 01:12:30,500
I studied, worked and found in this city a sense of self-worth and belonging

1369
01:12:30,500 --> 01:12:35,660
If China hadn't been urbanized, I'd still be in Shanxi, working a menial job that my parents found for me

1370
01:12:35,660 --> 01:12:38,300
Wearing blue overalls and using an abacus for the rest of my life

1371
01:12:38,300 --> 01:12:45,220
Cities gave us our personal freedom and gave this nation three decades of prosperity

1372
01:12:45,220 --> 01:12:49,980
When there are 300-400 million people knocking on our cities' doors, urbanization is an unavoidable reality

1373
01:12:49,980 --> 01:12:53,380
and those who enter will bring unimaginable culture and wealth to this country

1374
01:12:53,380 --> 01:12:56,306
But if we don't change our current model of using capital

1375
01:12:56,306 --> 01:12:59,900
to fuel industry and urban development, what will be the consequences?

1376
01:12:59,900 --> 01:13:03,252
The Development Research Center of the State Council projects that in 15 years our

1377
01:13:03,252 --> 01:13:07,300
coal consumption will rise to 6 billion tons, while the number of vehicles will rise to 400 million

1378
01:13:07,300 --> 01:13:08,300
So what does that mean for us?

1379
01:13:08,340 --> 01:13:09,940
Professor Ni of Tsinghua University told me

1380
01:13:09,940 --> 01:13:12,464
"This means that even before we run out of natural resources

1381
01:13:12,464 --> 01:13:14,820
we will have exhausted the capacity of our environment."

1382
01:13:14,820 --> 01:13:20,700
This means that now in China the pollution and traffic jams have just started

1383
01:13:22,980 --> 01:13:25,680
National requirements stipulate that cities, including

1384
01:13:25,680 --> 01:13:27,680
Beijing

1385
01:13:30,080 --> 01:13:32,560
Nanjing, Xi'an and Chengdu

1386
01:13:32,690 --> 01:13:39,600
14 cities in total, as defined by their city limits

1387
01:13:40,200 --> 01:13:44,510
were demanded by the State Council to stop projects that do not comply with environmental regulations

1388
01:13:44,700 --> 01:13:49,710
demanding they reduce administrative regulations on businesses

1389
01:13:52,710 --> 01:14:01,000
demanding local governments abolish policies favoring businesses that adversely affect the public

1390
01:14:03,700 --> 01:14:12,700
demanding they implement policies taking resource limits into account

1391
01:14:15,000 --> 01:14:23,000
and give them economic incentives for observing the limits

1392
01:14:32,500 --> 01:14:34,620
This photo was taken during the APEC summit in Beijing

1393
01:14:34,620 --> 01:14:39,500
One morning, my husband took me to a place he often visited as a child

1394
01:14:39,500 --> 01:14:44,340
His father taught him ice skating, swimming, and fishing there

1395
01:14:45,780 --> 01:14:49,620
He said he loved to look at the texture of the ice in winter

1396
01:14:49,620 --> 01:14:52,740
It spread all the way to the corner turret of the Forbidden City

1397
01:14:52,740 --> 01:14:57,820
That was his memory of this elegant and ancient city

1398
01:14:57,820 --> 01:15:02,220
We looked at this scene together like a kid staring at the last piece of candy

1399
01:15:02,220 --> 01:15:04,420
You know that if you don't eat it, it will melt

1400
01:15:04,420 --> 01:15:06,380
But you also know that once you eat it, it will disappear

1401
01:15:06,380 --> 01:15:09,660
Now we felt that same sense of sweetness, anxiety and frustration

1402
01:15:10,740 --> 01:15:14,500
I am a native of Beijing, when I was a child, the sky was blue and the clouds were white

1403
01:15:14,500 --> 01:15:17,020
The canals were so clear we could see the bottom, we could catch fish with our hands

1404
01:15:17,020 --> 01:15:20,980
I also grew up here, and I also still remember what it was like when I was a child

1405
01:15:20,980 --> 01:15:23,380
Standing on Chang'an Avenue, we could see all the way to the Western Hills

1406
01:15:23,380 --> 01:15:27,620
Having clean air is not an impossible task, it's completely achievable

1407
01:15:27,620 --> 01:15:29,780
It just depends how determined you are

1408
01:15:29,780 --> 01:15:35,340
I hope and believe that with dedication and hard work, we'll be able to keep our "APEC Blue"

1409
01:15:37,180 --> 01:15:39,260
When I got back, I asked the experts at the Chinese Academy of Sciences:

1410
01:15:39,260 --> 01:15:43,380
"Can you tell me, what would it take if we want to keep our APEC Blue?"

1411
01:15:44,220 --> 01:15:48,380
He said, we must cut emissions of sulfur dioxide by this much against 2013 levels

1412
01:15:48,380 --> 01:15:49,780
nitrogen oxide by this much

1413
01:15:49,780 --> 01:15:51,260
and PM2.5 by this much

1414
01:15:51,260 --> 01:15:56,020
In short, we would have to cut our pollutants by more than half in exchange for that blue sky

1415
01:15:57,230 --> 01:15:59,700
During the APEC Summit, China and the US issued a joint statement

1416
01:15:59,920 --> 01:16:02,370
China pledged that its carbon emissions will peak around 2030

1417
01:16:02,370 --> 01:16:05,050
and non-fossil energy sources will make up 20% of its energy infrastructure

1418
01:16:05,050 --> 01:16:07,927
Coal dominates China's energy infrastructure, and is a source of both carbon emissions and smog

1419
01:16:07,927 --> 01:16:09,460
Reducing coal use addresses both problems

1420
01:16:09,460 --> 01:16:11,665
Xie Zhenhua, Vice-Chairman, National Development and Reform Commission

1421
01:16:11,665 --> 01:16:16,100
When I set the goal for 2030, I specified that should be our peak. It's actually creating an incentive

1422
01:16:16,100 --> 01:16:18,500
So we will start moving on the green, low-carbon path

1423
01:16:18,500 --> 01:16:22,500
People may ask, to protect the environment, do we really have to sacrifice economic development?

1424
01:16:22,500 --> 01:16:23,780
That's a debt you have to settle

1425
01:16:23,780 --> 01:16:26,540
If you've acted wrongly before, you have to make up for it now

1426
01:16:26,540 --> 01:16:30,060
The real problem now becomes, how do we increase the employment rate and the average income?

1427
01:16:30,060 --> 01:16:30,980
Through transformation

1428
01:16:30,980 --> 01:16:35,100
What if during this transformation, some workers in some industries lose their jobs?

1429
01:16:35,180 --> 01:16:40,540
Right now, China's energy-saving and environmental protection industries generate over

1430
01:16:40,540 --> 01:16:44,100
3.7 trillion RMB ($590 billion) a year, and employ around 39 million people

1431
01:16:44,100 --> 01:16:45,500
Don't forget, this is an industry too

1432
01:16:45,500 --> 01:16:51,060
But many people may wonder, will the Chinese government keep investing in economic growth?

1433
01:16:51,060 --> 01:16:54,185
If we want to maintain the rate of economic growth, the way to do it

1434
01:16:54,185 --> 01:16:57,220
is precisely through green, low-carbon, recycling-focused programs

1435
01:16:57,220 --> 01:16:59,860
Consider the Great Smog of 1952 in London or the smog crisis in Los Angeles

1436
01:16:59,860 --> 01:17:02,020
It took them six to seven decades to solve their problems

1437
01:17:02,020 --> 01:17:03,300
We can learn from their experience

1438
01:17:03,300 --> 01:17:06,700
We will get through this stage much more quickly than they did

1439
01:17:08,100 --> 01:17:10,380
Before, I was worried that Beijing is still expanding

1440
01:17:10,380 --> 01:17:12,580
The number of cars is still increasing

1441
01:17:12,580 --> 01:17:14,140
Can pollution there really be reduced?

1442
01:17:14,140 --> 01:17:16,380
But this is Los Angeles

1443
01:17:16,380 --> 01:17:18,100
A place very similar to Beijing

1444
01:17:18,100 --> 01:17:20,780
It also has mountains on three sides, so it's hard for polluted air to disperse

1445
01:17:20,780 --> 01:17:25,220
That's why LA has also experienced large-scale photochemical smog

1446
01:17:25,220 --> 01:17:26,900
You can look at 1950

1447
01:17:26,900 --> 01:17:32,420
These cans were sold in shops in Hollywood, containing Los Angeles air

1448
01:17:32,420 --> 01:17:36,100
The can has a slogan on it: "Buy one for somebody you hate!"

1449
01:17:36,100 --> 01:17:39,580
You can imagine the feelings and resentment of those who lived in LA at the time

1450
01:17:39,580 --> 01:17:43,660
However, the number of cars in LA has been increasing since 1970

1451
01:17:43,660 --> 01:17:45,820
It has actually tripled

1452
01:17:45,820 --> 01:17:48,380
But what about emissions?

1453
01:17:48,380 --> 01:17:50,540
They have decreased by 75%

1454
01:17:50,540 --> 01:17:52,140
How did they do it?

1455
01:17:52,140 --> 01:17:54,300
I went to LA to find out

1456
01:17:59,260 --> 01:18:01,900
We are now in the air over Santa Monica

1457
01:18:02,300 --> 01:18:04,660
You can see a layer of haze over there

1458
01:18:04,660 --> 01:18:05,860
That's the smog

1459
01:18:06,180 --> 01:18:12,660
We've often seen these tall buildings in Hollywood movies, but Los Angeles isn't really a skyscraper city

1460
01:18:12,660 --> 01:18:16,460
All around those skyscrapers is a flat expanse of one- and two-story buildings

1461
01:18:16,460 --> 01:18:24,460
This low-density urban development means you have to drive to get around in LA

1462
01:18:26,060 --> 01:18:29,900
Los Angeles' sprawl is considered a classic case of failed urban planning

1463
01:18:29,900 --> 01:18:32,980
Its public transportation has not been developed or utilized to its fullest potential

1464
01:18:32,980 --> 01:18:35,020
This has caused an inevitable increase in car ownership

1465
01:18:35,700 --> 01:18:40,380
In a city of 1.7 million people, there are about 1.3 million cars - that's almost one car per person

1466
01:18:40,380 --> 01:18:44,900
850 million trips are made every day in the whole of California

1467
01:18:44,900 --> 01:18:48,460
If you add up all the fuel, it's enough to travel to the moon and back 1,600 times

1468
01:18:51,000 --> 01:18:52,381
California Air Resources Board

1469
01:18:52,381 --> 01:18:56,340
Inspection and enforcement vehicle near an industrial zone in Irvine, CA, July 7, 2014

1470
01:18:56,540 --> 01:18:59,602
Over there is a beer brewery, and over there are huge warehouses

1471
01:18:59,602 --> 01:19:01,900
This truck just came from the port of Long Beach

1472
01:19:01,900 --> 01:19:04,140
Take a look at this big Optimus Prime-looking guy

1473
01:19:04,140 --> 01:19:10,820
18 wheels and over 20 meters long, it's built like a tank or some armored vehicle

1474
01:19:12,640 --> 01:19:14,950
California has 1,061,745 diesel vehicles

1475
01:19:14,950 --> 01:19:17,200
Each vehicle consumes an average of 35.2 litres of fuel each day

1476
01:19:24,780 --> 01:19:31,220
CARB estimates that 71% of the carcinogens in Southern California's atmosphere come from diesel vehicles

1477
01:19:31,220 --> 01:19:34,060
So all diesel vehicles are required to install a diesel particulate filter (DPF)

1478
01:19:34,060 --> 01:19:37,140
This is a special type of filter, it's like putting a dust mask on your truck

1479
01:19:37,140 --> 01:19:39,580
It can filter out 99% of particles

1480
01:19:41,940 --> 01:19:45,180
This driver is from Mexico, he drives an old 2005 model truck

1481
01:19:45,180 --> 01:19:48,260
The law says he must install a DPF, but he hasn't done it

1482
01:19:48,260 --> 01:19:52,100
Although his truck's emission level is within compliance, he will be still be fined $1,000

1483
01:19:53,140 --> 01:19:55,660
Why didn't you install the DPF?

1484
01:19:55,660 --> 01:19:57,540
Not much money

1485
01:19:57,540 --> 01:19:59,060
He was waiting till the last minute

1486
01:19:59,060 --> 01:20:03,180
He makes around $4,000 a month, now he has to pay a $1,000 ticket

1487
01:20:03,180 --> 01:20:04,500
That's a pretty high price

1488
01:20:05,460 --> 01:20:07,700
Sir, how many kids do you have?

1489
01:20:08,340 --> 01:20:10,620
Six

1490
01:20:13,100 --> 01:20:15,020
What if he still doesn't install the DPF?

1491
01:20:15,020 --> 01:20:15,860
We'll keep ticketing him

1492
01:20:15,860 --> 01:20:19,260
If you still don't comply, we'll report you to the DMV

1493
01:20:19,260 --> 01:20:21,060
And not allow you to renew your license plates

1494
01:20:21,060 --> 01:20:23,740
If you can't renew your plates, you can't drive, so you can't make money

1495
01:20:26,180 --> 01:20:30,340
To manage its pollution, California had to enact the strictest standards for new motor vehicles

1496
01:20:30,340 --> 01:20:32,780
The EPA has the authority to inspect any new vehicle

1497
01:20:32,780 --> 01:20:36,300
It has the right to inspect any car in use with up to 12,000 miles on it

1498
01:20:36,300 --> 01:20:38,651
If it finds a factory has been violating the regulations

1499
01:20:38,651 --> 01:20:42,220
it will fine the manufacturer $25,000 for each day since the vehicle left the factory

1500
01:20:42,220 --> 01:20:45,300
The EPA has the authority to require car manufacturers to recall all affected vehicles

1501
01:20:46,225 --> 01:20:48,100
Paul Jacobs, California Air Resource Board, Branch Chief

1502
01:20:48,100 --> 01:20:52,540
45% of the citizens want to comply and be good corporate citizens

1503
01:20:52,540 --> 01:20:57,380
And 45% say, "Well, I don't really want to, but I'm going to because I might get caught."

1504
01:20:57,380 --> 01:20:59,483
And 10% say, "Catch me"

1505
01:20:59,483 --> 01:21:02,660
"I'm gonna go in the left lane of the freeway and go 100 miles an hour, come and catch me."

1506
01:21:03,280 --> 01:21:06,200
Over 29913 summons are issued annually for heavy diesel trucks

1507
01:21:06,200 --> 01:21:07,500
Ultimately, over 3281 are settled

1508
01:21:08,200 --> 01:21:10,200
$1,336,880 in fines

1509
01:21:16,340 --> 01:21:18,940
This court settlement particularly interests me

1510
01:21:18,940 --> 01:21:24,058
I only realized afterwards that the vehicle that was fined was imported from China

1511
01:21:24,050 --> 01:21:26,100
It was because of environmental labeling fraud

1512
01:21:26,100 --> 01:21:31,780
But this time, once they were caught, they were fined about 400 million RMB ($64 million)

1513
01:21:31,780 --> 01:21:34,060
Two of the people in charge went to jail

1514
01:21:34,060 --> 01:21:35,740
Human nature is the same all around the world

1515
01:21:35,740 --> 01:21:40,740
In the US, you can also find people who want to avoid punishment or break the law

1516
01:21:40,740 --> 01:21:44,220
But you can control 90% of them if you strictly enforce the law

1517
01:21:44,220 --> 01:21:47,420
If you do not enforce the law, it will be like the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau said

1518
01:21:47,420 --> 01:21:49,580
90% of vehicles will continue to commit environmental fraud

1519
01:21:51,260 --> 01:21:53,900
This year, the "Atmospheric Pollution Prevention Law" will finally be revised

1520
01:21:53,900 --> 01:21:59,860
In the current draft, it authorizes the Chinese EPA to fine or recall fraudulent vehicles

1521
01:21:59,860 --> 01:22:02,820
However, it won't take effect until September 2015 at the earliest

1522
01:22:02,820 --> 01:22:06,580
So before then, every night, even at this very moment

1523
01:22:06,580 --> 01:22:12,660
millions of trucks are traveling across and polluting China's vast landscape

1524
01:22:12,660 --> 01:22:15,380
How many have fake emissions certificates, how many are emitting particles and pollution?

1525
01:22:15,380 --> 01:22:17,140
This is what we're all enduring

1526
01:22:18,580 --> 01:22:24,940
So before our original "Atmospheric Pollution Prevention Law of the People's Republic of China" expires

1527
01:22:24,940 --> 01:22:27,980
Can we use it at least once?

1528
01:22:27,980 --> 01:22:31,940
Can we prevent it from being viewed in our history like this?

1529
01:22:35,020 --> 01:22:41,860
Back when the U.S. wanted strict standards, their auto industry cried and moaned just like ours

1530
01:22:41,860 --> 01:22:44,660
They constantly sued the EPA and did not want to change

1531
01:22:44,660 --> 01:22:48,500
Then, some foreign car manufacturers said "I can do it, I can comply!"

1532
01:22:48,500 --> 01:22:52,020
Once the U.S. car manufacturers heard this, they immediately made the effort and caught up

1533
01:22:52,020 --> 01:22:54,460
But sadly, by then they'd lost half of their market share

1534
01:22:55,940 --> 01:22:58,100
So I asked officials in the U.S. environmental protection agencies

1535
01:22:58,100 --> 01:23:03,380
"Are you afraid that you're hurting your national auto industry?"

1536
01:23:03,380 --> 01:23:06,460
They said: Environmental protection isn't a burden

1537
01:23:06,460 --> 01:23:07,980
It's innovation

1538
01:23:07,980 --> 01:23:10,340
Protecting a backward industry is no way to promote innovation

1539
01:23:10,340 --> 01:23:15,020
The government's role is to set standards and then ensure fair competition in the market

1540
01:23:15,020 --> 01:23:18,340
You win the market through fair competition

1541
01:23:18,340 --> 01:23:22,780
But in China, coal accounts for 70% of our energy consumption

1542
01:23:22,780 --> 01:23:26,580
Within the energy infrastructure we have, how can we reduce coal?

1543
01:23:26,580 --> 01:23:28,580
Let's look at this graph of how London did it

1544
01:23:28,580 --> 01:23:32,260
Many people argue that it took London 40 or 50 years to get its air pollution under control

1545
01:23:32,260 --> 01:23:33,780
So we have to wait just as long

1546
01:23:33,780 --> 01:23:36,180
But is that true?

1547
01:23:36,180 --> 01:23:38,140
Look at this

1548
01:23:38,140 --> 01:23:43,180
In just the first ten years after they started to manage pollution, they reduced pollutants by 80%

1549
01:23:43,180 --> 01:23:44,780
That's a huge improvement

1550
01:23:44,780 --> 01:23:46,460
Let's see how London accomplished this

1551
01:23:49,180 --> 01:23:53,740
When the Great London Smog of 1952 took place, 90% of England's energy consumption was coal

1552
01:23:53,740 --> 01:23:58,060
In 1953, the average density of particulate matter was 10 times higher than the EU standard

1553
01:23:58,060 --> 01:24:01,140
The pressure to control the smog was even greater than ours in China now

1554
01:24:01,140 --> 01:24:03,700
England passed the "Clean Air Act" in 1956

1555
01:24:03,700 --> 01:24:06,660
At every colliery we used to run waterers on the surface

1556
01:24:06,660 --> 01:24:10,220
so the coal would've been washed before being sold on to customers

1557
01:24:10,220 --> 01:24:15,140
To use ordinary coal or to to use it in an open grate would be illegal

1558
01:24:15,140 --> 01:24:16,820
And that by the way is the grate

1559
01:24:16,820 --> 01:24:18,300
Do you still use it?

1560
01:24:18,300 --> 01:24:19,700
We do sometimes

1561
01:24:19,700 --> 01:24:21,940
It's a smokeless coal. And this is called "home fire."

1562
01:24:21,940 --> 01:24:25,260
The government funded 70% of the cost of furnace renovations for citizens

1563
01:24:25,700 --> 01:24:27,100
But punishments were strict as well

1564
01:24:27,460 --> 01:24:30,420
Violation could result in a £100 fine, or even jail time

1565
01:24:30,420 --> 01:24:34,340
Installation of any apparatus emitting smoke is strictly prohibited

1566
01:24:34,340 --> 01:24:39,020
Smoke wardens could inspect a shop and decide that it was selling illegal materials

1567
01:24:39,020 --> 01:24:42,620
This is the last cart of coal from a former coal mine in South Wales

1568
01:24:42,620 --> 01:24:44,980
It stopped on this track in 1983

1569
01:24:45,860 --> 01:24:50,500
In the 20 years following the Great Smog of 1952, oil replaced more than 20% of coal

1570
01:24:50,500 --> 01:24:52,860
Natural gas replaced more than 30% of coal

1571
01:24:52,860 --> 01:24:57,940
Across the whole country's energy infrastructure, coal dropped from 90% to 30% of total consumption

1572
01:24:57,940 --> 01:25:01,420
And heavy industry's share of the GDP also dropped 10%

1573
01:25:01,420 --> 01:25:03,380
Many coal mines and coal factories closed down

1574
01:25:03,380 --> 01:25:05,300
"And that's another London landmark gone."

1575
01:25:05,820 --> 01:25:07,980
Millions of people used to work for the coal industry

1576
01:25:07,980 --> 01:25:10,300
How do you earn money today?

1577
01:25:12,020 --> 01:25:14,020
Well, you have to find alternative employment

1578
01:25:14,020 --> 01:25:17,980
I'm not a rich man, but at least I don't have to worry about paying bills

1579
01:25:17,980 --> 01:25:19,260
Mining to me, it was just a job

1580
01:25:19,260 --> 01:25:22,540
100 years ago, we had a million miners in the United Kingdom

1581
01:25:22,540 --> 01:25:24,620
We've just got tens of thousands now

1582
01:25:24,620 --> 01:25:28,100
But we've got more people in jobs than ever before in our history

1583
01:25:28,100 --> 01:25:32,260
If an industry is on its way out, there's another industry coming up

1584
01:25:32,580 --> 01:25:35,660
From 1960 to 1970, in the first ten years after England began controlling its air pollution

1585
01:25:35,660 --> 01:25:39,340
Not only did the economy not shrink, GDP actually doubled

1586
01:25:39,620 --> 01:25:42,180
Ten years later, the U.K had entered the age of oil and natural gas

1587
01:25:42,180 --> 01:25:44,340
Its economic power quadrupled

1588
01:25:47,100 --> 01:25:49,780
Once the U.K. used cleaner energy sources, oil and natural gas

1589
01:25:49,780 --> 01:25:51,940
Natural gas, in particular, replaced coal

1590
01:25:51,940 --> 01:25:54,500
They achieved blue skies and white clouds

1591
01:25:54,500 --> 01:25:59,669
The interesting thing is, when we were in London looking for historical sources on how

1592
01:25:59,669 --> 01:26:05,860
coal contributed to air pollution, the best, most thorough, and most authoritative source we could find

1593
01:26:05,860 --> 01:26:08,940
was from a natural gas company

1594
01:26:08,940 --> 01:26:12,900
The name is simple: "Guilty Chimneys"

1595
01:26:12,900 --> 01:26:15,780
Natural gas quickly gained market share through competition

1596
01:26:15,780 --> 01:26:17,740
And replaced its competitor

1597
01:26:17,740 --> 01:26:19,580
The U.K. Energy Minister asked me

1598
01:26:19,580 --> 01:26:23,940
Do you know what London's economic level was at the beginning of the environmental reforms?

1599
01:26:23,940 --> 01:26:25,940
Their per capita GDP was the same as China's

1600
01:26:25,940 --> 01:26:32,860
Most importantly, the government shouldn't subsidize backward-thinking, polluting, unprofitable businesses

1601
01:26:32,860 --> 01:26:35,740
The government needs to give new, innovative companies a fair chance to compete

1602
01:26:35,740 --> 01:26:38,060
If you do, they will surprise you

1603
01:26:38,060 --> 01:26:39,780
London's success story tells us

1604
01:26:39,780 --> 01:26:43,780
China needs to leave the era of coal and enter the era of oil and natural gas

1605
01:26:43,780 --> 01:26:46,940
Only if we do that can we have cleaner air

1606
01:26:46,940 --> 01:26:51,940
In the world today, the share of natural gas in energy consumption is fairly high

1607
01:26:51,940 --> 01:26:54,299
Natural gas accounts for around 24% of the world's energy consumption

1608
01:26:54,299 --> 01:26:56,180
because natural gas is a relatively clean energy source

1609
01:26:56,180 --> 01:26:58,540
How about China?

1610
01:26:58,540 --> 01:27:01,140
Just 5% of our energy comes from natural gas

1611
01:27:01,140 --> 01:27:02,820
Why is this number so low?

1612
01:27:02,820 --> 01:27:05,980
The standard answer I've heard since I was young is

1613
01:27:05,980 --> 01:27:13,380
It's because we're a country with lots of coal, insufficient oil and not enough natural gas

1614
01:27:13,380 --> 01:27:14,780
Is that really true?

1615
01:27:14,780 --> 01:27:15,900
It's true

1616
01:27:15,900 --> 01:27:17,460
But is it the whole story?

1617
01:27:17,460 --> 01:27:20,980
So I wrote to the director of the Mineral Resources Reserve Center in the Ministry of Land and Resources

1618
01:27:20,980 --> 01:27:23,340
He sent me a few numbers

1619
01:27:23,340 --> 01:27:26,580
How much of our potential natural gas reserves have actually been investigated?

1620
01:27:26,580 --> 01:27:27,940
22%

1621
01:27:27,940 --> 01:27:34,020
That means we have a lot of undiscovered natural gas under us

1622
01:27:34,020 --> 01:27:35,820
How about oil?

1623
01:27:38,060 --> 01:27:40,740
38%

1624
01:27:40,740 --> 01:27:44,020
For the resources we have verified, let's say natural gas

1625
01:27:44,020 --> 01:27:47,780
We've found 900 billion cubic meters, but how much have we started to extract?

1626
01:27:47,820 --> 01:27:49,100
100 billion cubic meters

1627
01:27:49,140 --> 01:27:53,380
We have so many resources that we know are there, but we aren't taking advantage of them

1628
01:27:53,380 --> 01:27:54,660
Why is that?

1629
01:27:54,700 --> 01:27:57,740
Director Zhang Dawei sent me another very simple reply

1630
01:27:57,780 --> 01:27:59,100
Just a few numbers

1631
01:27:59,140 --> 01:28:03,260
For instance, the United States is the biggest natural gas producer

1632
01:28:03,300 --> 01:28:06,500
They have 6,300 natural gas and oil companies

1633
01:28:06,540 --> 01:28:08,420
How many do we have?

1634
01:28:08,420 --> 01:28:09,700
3

1635
01:28:09,740 --> 01:28:13,740
70% of them are under one company: China National Petroleum Corporation

1636
01:28:13,740 --> 01:28:16,020
America has 160 natural gas pipeline companies

1637
01:28:16,060 --> 01:28:17,460
How many do we have?

1638
01:28:17,500 --> 01:28:18,660
3

1639
01:28:18,700 --> 01:28:23,300
70% of them are under one company: China National Petroleum Corporation

1640
01:28:23,300 --> 01:28:24,540
This is the answer he gave me

1641
01:28:24,540 --> 01:28:28,300
If we open up this market, our annual production of natural gas will double each year

1642
01:28:28,300 --> 01:28:31,500
Our verified reserves will double each year

1643
01:28:31,580 --> 01:28:34,660
Why have we been so slow to join the oil and gas age?

1644
01:28:34,660 --> 01:28:37,020
Why can't we develop more natural gas?

1645
01:28:37,020 --> 01:28:39,060
The petrochemical industry is not open

1646
01:28:39,060 --> 01:28:43,020
Each sector of the industry is basically a monopoly

1647
01:28:43,020 --> 01:28:45,220
A monopoly can't innovate

1648
01:28:45,220 --> 01:28:47,340
People outside of the industry can't get into it

1649
01:28:47,340 --> 01:28:52,140
It's like an only child, the toys are all his. He plays with them any way he wants, and he throws them around

1650
01:28:52,140 --> 01:28:53,620
You just have to listen to what they tell you

1651
01:28:54,420 --> 01:28:59,660
The oil business is a security issue, and if it's not managed well the consequences can be serious

1652
01:29:00,060 --> 01:29:02,140
It depends on how you understand energy security

1653
01:29:02,140 --> 01:29:04,780
Well, energy security is really important

1654
01:29:04,780 --> 01:29:08,780
But, the new technologies that we can work on together are answering that problem

1655
01:29:08,780 --> 01:29:13,020
As long as there is competition, then the industry will try its hardest to innovate and change

1656
01:29:13,020 --> 01:29:16,283
You may be interested to know that the company that controls the

1657
01:29:16,283 --> 01:29:19,700
electricity distribution around this city, London, is Chinese-owned

1658
01:29:19,700 --> 01:29:22,980
Only if we bring down the price of energy will there be competitiveness

1659
01:29:22,980 --> 01:29:28,540
I think by being open, you share ideas, you innovate, you get the best from the world

1660
01:29:28,540 --> 01:29:32,340
What is the key to controlling China's smog?

1661
01:29:32,340 --> 01:29:33,780
Reform of energy systems and policies

1662
01:29:36,340 --> 01:29:39,820
I encountered China's energy problems for the first time while preparing this documentary

1663
01:29:39,820 --> 01:29:42,420
I only had a rough feeling for the problem

1664
01:29:42,420 --> 01:29:44,540
China's reform and opening up was not how I originally imagined it

1665
01:29:44,580 --> 01:29:46,340
Like the process of a chick hatching from its egg

1666
01:29:46,340 --> 01:29:49,300
As soon as it hatches it is already complete and alive

1667
01:29:49,300 --> 01:29:51,060
It's more like the process of a cicada shedding its shell

1668
01:29:51,060 --> 01:29:54,260
little by little, emerging from the shell it originally had

1669
01:29:54,260 --> 01:29:57,820
And energy is the last part that remains in the shell

1670
01:29:57,820 --> 01:30:00,500
It has always been considered important to national security

1671
01:30:00,500 --> 01:30:03,380
and economic security, so it has not been treated as a commodity

1672
01:30:03,380 --> 01:30:07,780
It was impossible to expose it to real market forces

1673
01:30:07,780 --> 01:30:11,900
But the shell itself is also paying a price

1674
01:30:11,900 --> 01:30:18,340
This is a diagram showing a network of corruption in the energy industry over the past two years

1675
01:30:18,340 --> 01:30:20,460
Energy is a sector with a high rate of corruption

1676
01:30:20,460 --> 01:30:23,671
The former director of the National Energy Administration, Liu Tienan

1677
01:30:23,671 --> 01:30:27,177
said during his court hearing that in order to curb high rates of corruption

1678
01:30:27,177 --> 01:30:31,700
those rights that should have originally belonged to the market should be given back to the market

1679
01:30:31,700 --> 01:30:39,900
So in June 2014 China's national energy security strategy stated that energy is a commodity

1680
01:30:39,900 --> 01:30:42,740
We need to build an effective market structure and market system

1681
01:30:42,740 --> 01:30:45,860
and we need to change the method of supervision that the government uses for energy

1682
01:30:45,940 --> 01:30:52,860
But what can we do while we're waiting for the country to build and improve a massive energy system?

1683
01:30:52,860 --> 01:30:57,180
Even the most powerful government in the world can't control pollution by itself

1684
01:30:57,180 --> 01:31:00,700
It needs to rely on ordinary people like you and me

1685
01:31:00,700 --> 01:31:05,020
Our choices, and our determination

1686
01:31:05,020 --> 01:31:10,060
In 2003, when I was reporting on SARS, the most important lesson I learned was that

1687
01:31:10,060 --> 01:31:15,300
information disclosure is a prerequisite for public participation

1688
01:31:15,300 --> 01:31:20,876
Over the past three years, at the same time as providing air quality forecasts, the government has also

1689
01:31:20,876 --> 01:31:26,020
established the largest online monitoring network in the world to monitor polluting enterprises

1690
01:31:26,020 --> 01:31:29,740
What we need to do is to use this data, and not waste the money spent on it

1691
01:31:29,740 --> 01:31:34,020
Let everyone see the data, put it out in the sunlight

1692
01:31:34,020 --> 01:31:35,380
This is a mobile app

1693
01:31:35,380 --> 01:31:38,700
After downloading this software, you can see on your phone

1694
01:31:38,700 --> 01:31:42,700
which enterprises in an area about 5 kilometers around you are emitting pollutants

1695
01:31:42,700 --> 01:31:46,300
These red circles all show enterprises exceeding emissions standards

1696
01:31:46,300 --> 01:31:51,300
China's 6,000 key enterprises discharge 65% of China's waste emissions

1697
01:31:51,300 --> 01:31:55,220
You can submit a report to the environmental protection authorities, or share the details on Weibo

1698
01:31:55,220 --> 01:32:01,020
All the traces of blue are companies reported by the public that have promised to take corrective action

1699
01:32:01,020 --> 01:32:06,580
Of course the shame is that if the data for some places is not disclosed at all, what can we do?

1700
01:32:06,580 --> 01:32:09,980
So last year I attended a forum where local environmental legislation

1701
01:32:09,980 --> 01:32:12,740
was drafted with public participation for the first time

1702
01:32:12,740 --> 01:32:14,980
I heard a lot of disputes during the forum

1703
01:32:14,980 --> 01:32:20,580
The main dispute was around whether to force key enterprises to disclose information

1704
01:32:20,580 --> 01:32:24,580
In the end, Hebei Province published the first regulations with public participation

1705
01:32:24,580 --> 01:32:28,300
The regulations required that key polluting enterprises must publicize their information

1706
01:32:28,300 --> 01:32:33,060
If they don't publish this information, citizens can file lawsuits, and the companies must pay a daily fine

1707
01:32:33,060 --> 01:32:36,220
with the maximum being 100,000 RMB ($16,000) per day

1708
01:32:36,220 --> 01:32:39,420
But who is going to file these lawsuits?

1709
01:32:39,420 --> 01:32:43,820
Only 1% of major environmental disputes go to court in China

1710
01:32:43,820 --> 01:32:45,060
Why such a small number?

1711
01:32:45,060 --> 01:32:52,900
Can you guess before this year how many NGOs in China were allowed to file lawsuits?

1712
01:32:52,900 --> 01:32:54,420
None

1713
01:32:54,420 --> 01:32:57,270
This is because at the time regulations in the Civil Procedural Law

1714
01:32:57,270 --> 01:32:59,780
stated that only "relevant organizations" can file lawsuits

1715
01:32:59,780 --> 01:33:03,540
As to who these relevant organizations are, no one knows

1716
01:33:03,540 --> 01:33:06,740
But from January 1 2015, the new Environmental Protection Law states that as long as an organization

1717
01:33:06,740 --> 01:33:09,380
has been carrying out environmental protection work for 5 or more years,

1718
01:33:09,380 --> 01:33:13,460
and has not broken the law in any way, then they can qualify to file lawsuits

1719
01:33:13,460 --> 01:33:18,660
At present, some people from among the over 700 environmental protection organizations are already trying

1720
01:33:18,660 --> 01:33:19,740
The slogan proposed is

1721
01:33:19,740 --> 01:33:23,700
"Does the new environmental law have what it takes? Our partners are testing it right now."

1722
01:33:24,100 --> 01:33:26,220
As for ordinary people like us, if you don't have time to

1723
01:33:26,220 --> 01:33:30,100
join an environmental protection organization, then what else can you do?

1724
01:33:30,100 --> 01:33:33,620
In cooperation with Friends of Nature we have made a short animation

1725
01:33:33,620 --> 01:33:36,620
To Fight Smog, I'll Do My Bit For Clean Air

1726
01:33:36,620 --> 01:33:41,700
If you're going less than 5km please take public transportation, ride a bike, or carpool

1727
01:33:41,700 --> 01:33:44,740
If you drive a car, don't let the engine idle longer than 30 seconds

1728
01:33:45,140 --> 01:33:47,460
If you see a diesel vehicle belching black exhaust

1729
01:33:47,460 --> 01:33:50,260
Try calling 12369 to report it

1730
01:33:50,260 --> 01:33:54,620
Those "black tails" behind diesel trucks are full of PM2.5 and they endanger public health

1731
01:33:55,060 --> 01:33:57,260
If you see a restaurant releasing cooking smoke

1732
01:33:57,260 --> 01:34:01,860
Ask them to install a filtering system, or leave them a negative review online

1733
01:34:01,860 --> 01:34:04,340
If you see dust blowing from uncovered piles at construction sites

1734
01:34:04,380 --> 01:34:06,340
If you think there might be a leak at a gas station

1735
01:34:06,340 --> 01:34:08,380
Try calling 12369

1736
01:34:08,380 --> 01:34:10,140
If you burn coal at home

1737
01:34:10,140 --> 01:34:13,500
As much as you can, try to avoid low-quality coal

1738
01:34:13,500 --> 01:34:16,500
Ask your mom to clean the kitchen range and hood to keep the family healthy

1739
01:34:17,060 --> 01:34:20,478
And you can try taking pictures to help locate industrial pollution sources

1740
01:34:20,478 --> 01:34:24,580
supervise and report illegal activity and tweet @ your local environmental bureau on Weibo

1741
01:34:24,580 --> 01:34:28,340
Check out the list of polluting manufacturers and boycott their products

1742
01:34:28,860 --> 01:34:31,341
When our air quality laws are being written and revised

1743
01:34:31,341 --> 01:34:34,500
participate in the public commenting process and make your voice heard

1744
01:34:35,020 --> 01:34:37,220
With a little thought and care, the smog will start to clear

1745
01:34:40,580 --> 01:34:43,580
Before, when I walked by the uncovered construction site near my home

1746
01:34:43,580 --> 01:34:45,500
I usually just covered my nose and went on past

1747
01:34:45,500 --> 01:34:52,140
But now I know, at least 15% of Beijing's PM2.5 pollution comes from blowing dust

1748
01:34:52,140 --> 01:34:53,380
I decided I had to try

1749
01:35:02,540 --> 01:35:03,820
Chai: We live nearby

1750
01:35:03,820 --> 01:35:06,220
Why haven't you covered this dirt?

1751
01:35:06,220 --> 01:35:07,380
Worker: Ask our boss

1752
01:35:07,380 --> 01:35:09,820
Okay, where's your boss?

1753
01:35:09,820 --> 01:35:11,192
Over there, go look over there

1754
01:35:13,980 --> 01:35:17,900
You haven't covered that huge dirt pile alongside the road, the dust flies everywhere when the wind blows

1755
01:35:17,900 --> 01:35:19,060
Boss: I know, I know, I know, I know

1756
01:35:19,060 --> 01:35:19,820
It's our fault

1757
01:35:19,820 --> 01:35:20,860
So when are you going to cover it?

1758
01:35:20,860 --> 01:35:21,580
Right away

1759
01:35:21,580 --> 01:35:22,340
Okay

1760
01:35:22,340 --> 01:35:23,300
Sorry, sorry

1761
01:35:32,500 --> 01:35:35,940
The whole process took less than five minutes

1762
01:35:35,940 --> 01:35:37,620
Right before I left

1763
01:35:37,620 --> 01:35:39,940
The worker who told me where to find the boss said

1764
01:35:39,940 --> 01:35:41,700
"Do you know why he's afraid of you?"

1765
01:35:41,700 --> 01:35:43,740
He pointed at the mobile phone in my hand

1766
01:35:43,740 --> 01:35:46,580
He's afraid you'll expose him

1767
01:35:46,580 --> 01:35:51,500
In my building, there is a restaurant downstairs serving meat pies, and every mealtime

1768
01:35:51,500 --> 01:35:54,860
everything in the building smells like smoke

1769
01:35:54,860 --> 01:35:57,940
Before, I didn't think this is was a problem, isn't every Chinese restaurant in the world like this?

1770
01:35:57,940 --> 01:36:05,620
But now I know, Beijing's food service industry creates at least 6% of our PM2.5 pollution

1771
01:36:05,620 --> 01:36:08,460
And Beijing is home to 12% of the country's food service industry

1772
01:36:08,460 --> 01:36:11,980
For such a high-volume restaurant, I used to think there was nothing to be done about it

1773
01:36:11,980 --> 01:36:16,220
until I went to London and ate at a Chinese restaurant there, I discovered there was no smoke smell at all

1774
01:36:16,220 --> 01:36:17,060
Why?

1775
01:36:17,060 --> 01:36:21,940
The boss took me up on the roof, where I saw this

1776
01:36:21,940 --> 01:36:24,380
It's called a soot purifier

1777
01:36:24,380 --> 01:36:29,100
The London city government required them to install it, and the city inspects it regularly

1778
01:36:29,100 --> 01:36:33,260
I thought it must be pretty high-tech until I came back to Beijing

1779
01:36:33,260 --> 01:36:36,540
I found that not only does Beijing have them too, installing them is actually required

1780
01:36:36,540 --> 01:36:42,740
I called 12369 to make a report, and a week later, this item was delivered

1781
01:36:50,380 --> 01:36:52,700
The whole thing took less than half an hour

1782
01:36:52,700 --> 01:36:55,860
When I was filming this video clip, the restaurant boss came over and said

1783
01:36:55,860 --> 01:37:01,220
"Thank you for your supervision as a resident here, we hope to see you in our restaurant in the future"

1784
01:37:01,220 --> 01:37:04,970
For the past year, our office lunches have been nothing but meat pies

1785
01:37:06,100 --> 01:37:09,060
Sometimes when I walk by the neighborhood gas station, we have one downstairs

1786
01:37:09,060 --> 01:37:12,300
I can smell the very strong scent of gasoline

1787
01:37:12,300 --> 01:37:17,420
But I thought that all gas stations worldwide were like this, until I went to the United States

1788
01:37:17,420 --> 01:37:22,660
I saw this thing on their gas pump nozzles it's called "gasoline vapor recovery equipment"

1789
01:37:22,660 --> 01:37:26,180
I thought it was another high-tech thing until I came back to Beijing and discovered

1790
01:37:26,180 --> 01:37:28,780
we've had these things for ages, and they've been required since 2008

1791
01:37:28,780 --> 01:37:34,020
but many people don't maintain them properly, so they release a lot of gasoline vapor

1792
01:37:34,020 --> 01:37:37,180
So I called 12369 again

1793
01:37:40,740 --> 01:37:44,620
If you look at it facing the sun, there's a lot coming out, that means there's definitely a problem

1794
01:37:50,100 --> 01:37:52,860
It's not normal to smell this kind of odor when you are filling the tank

1795
01:37:52,860 --> 01:37:54,140
Do you see these gasoline vapors?

1796
01:37:58,940 --> 01:37:59,860
There shouldn't be fuel here

1797
01:37:59,860 --> 01:38:00,260
Right

1798
01:38:01,700 --> 01:38:02,500
Oh, it's wet here

1799
01:38:02,500 --> 01:38:03,900
That means extra gasoline was spilled

1800
01:38:03,900 --> 01:38:05,740
Right, fewer vapors went in

1801
01:38:05,740 --> 01:38:09,100
Part of the gasoline vapors escaped and went into the atmosphere

1802
01:38:09,100 --> 01:38:11,220
We will stop using it and it will be fixed immediately

1803
01:38:11,220 --> 01:38:13,313
This requires that the gas station must conduct

1804
01:38:13,313 --> 01:38:16,700
one compulsory inspection of its gasoline vapor recovery equipment each year

1805
01:38:17,500 --> 01:38:19,460
You can call 12369, that's our complaint hotline

1806
01:38:19,940 --> 01:38:21,300
Are you sure you will go and check it out?

1807
01:38:21,300 --> 01:38:22,540
Absolutely

1808
01:38:22,540 --> 01:38:23,540
We go 100% of the time

1809
01:38:25,420 --> 01:38:27,420
They promised that they would come 100% of the time

1810
01:38:27,420 --> 01:38:31,900
I don't know if they will really come, but by putting this sentence up here, we can see it as a kind of test

1811
01:38:31,900 --> 01:38:33,420
We can remember this number

1812
01:38:33,420 --> 01:38:34,940
12369

1813
01:38:34,940 --> 01:38:38,180
If you don't call that number, then it will forever remain just a number

1814
01:38:38,180 --> 01:38:40,500
I've said that this wasn't a happy year for me

1815
01:38:40,500 --> 01:38:42,980
I've felt like my life has been quite uncertain from day to day

1816
01:38:42,980 --> 01:38:44,170
That's true

1817
01:38:44,700 --> 01:38:48,740
Whenever the pollution was bad I didn't know where I'd be tomorrow or where I'd be in the future

1818
01:38:48,740 --> 01:38:54,140
But still, the moment the restaurant owner finished installing the smoke filtering device

1819
01:38:54,140 --> 01:38:56,580
I suddenly felt like my feet had landed on solid ground

1820
01:38:56,580 --> 01:38:58,740
It's a hard feeling to describe

1821
01:38:58,740 --> 01:39:03,540
You know perfectly well that the effect on improving air quality is completely minuscule

1822
01:39:03,540 --> 01:39:07,180
but if one person knows that because they did one small thing

1823
01:39:07,180 --> 01:39:11,300
the situation actually improved a little bit that person can feel more at peace about things

1824
01:39:11,300 --> 01:39:17,180
So when you look back at the war between people and pollution you see this is how history is made

1825
01:39:17,180 --> 01:39:19,420
It's tens of millions of ordinary people

1826
01:39:19,420 --> 01:39:22,100
One day they say "No"

1827
01:39:22,100 --> 01:39:22,820
I'm not satisfied

1828
01:39:23,940 --> 01:39:25,460
I don't want to wait

1829
01:39:25,460 --> 01:39:28,580
I'm not going to shirk the responsibility, I'm going to stand up and do something

1830
01:39:28,580 --> 01:39:31,100
I'm going to do it, right now

1831
01:39:31,100 --> 01:39:34,220
At this moment, at this place

1832
01:39:34,220 --> 01:39:35,220
I am going to do it

1833
01:39:42,060 --> 01:39:47,340
Unless we do bring these chemicals under better control, we're certainly headed for disaster

1834
01:40:11,260 --> 01:40:14,100
This whole system that we call home

1835
01:40:14,100 --> 01:40:19,140
People in Tokyo suffering from asthma are suing Japanese car manufacturers for compensation

1836
01:40:19,140 --> 01:40:23,700
for the harm caused by tailpipe emissions

1837
01:40:23,700 --> 01:40:28,100
We have the right to know, the right to participate, the right to sue for damages

1838
01:40:28,100 --> 01:40:29,340
Everyone join together

1839
01:40:29,340 --> 01:40:32,260
Together we will make our generation's choice to go green successful

1840
01:40:32,260 --> 01:40:37,140
If you don't know how to fix it, please stop breaking it

1841
01:40:37,140 --> 01:40:40,060
You grown ups say you love us

1842
01:40:40,060 --> 01:40:42,660
Please, take action

1843
01:40:42,660 --> 01:40:51,620
And for me, it is absolutely my responsibility to do whatever it takes to protect my child

1844
01:40:58,380 --> 01:41:02,540
When the smog becomes heavy, there's at least one thing we can do

1845
01:41:04,380 --> 01:41:07,580
That is to protect yourself and your loved ones

1846
01:41:07,580 --> 01:41:11,140
When I drew this little bear on a piece of paper

1847
01:41:11,140 --> 01:41:13,740
I recalled all the feelings from when my daughter was ill

1848
01:41:13,740 --> 01:41:18,660
all my fear of losing her and all my hope of protecting her

1849
01:41:18,660 --> 01:41:25,820
I wish that all other mothers in this world would never have to feel the same

1850
01:41:25,820 --> 01:41:34,220
Now she has grown up, healthy and recovered, strong and lively, and as chubby as before

1851
01:41:34,220 --> 01:41:37,860
She loves nature, and the small animals in it

1852
01:41:37,860 --> 01:41:40,460
but often I cannot take her outdoors

1853
01:41:40,460 --> 01:41:44,180
So in her own little flower pot, she has been raising a snail

1854
01:41:44,180 --> 01:41:51,340
When she wakes up every morning, she runs to the pot and blows on the snail, hoping to help it grow up

1855
01:41:51,340 --> 01:41:54,260
She love this world so much

1856
01:41:54,860 --> 01:42:00,620
Right now, tens of thousands of mothers are pregnant with or giving birth to their children

1857
01:42:00,620 --> 01:42:09,300
to whom these rivers, skies and lands should belong

1858
01:42:09,300 --> 01:42:12,700
We have no right to consume without restraint

1859
01:42:12,700 --> 01:42:16,620
We have no right to complain without building anew

1860
01:42:16,620 --> 01:42:18,612
We have a responsibility to prove to them

1861
01:42:18,612 --> 01:42:22,500
that a world illuminated by energy can, at the same time, be clean and beautiful

1862
01:42:26,220 --> 01:42:32,340
Every time I look into the night sky and see this planet's lonely rotations

1863
01:42:32,340 --> 01:42:37,300
I sense a kind of indescribable attachment and warmth

1864
01:42:37,300 --> 01:42:41,620
Someday in the future, I will leave this world

1865
01:42:41,620 --> 01:42:48,220
but my child will continue among the living, and I'll still be connected to it

1866
01:42:48,220 --> 01:42:53,420
And so I gaze upon it, just as I gaze upon you

1867
01:42:53,420 --> 01:42:58,820
And so I protect it, just as I protect you

1868
01:43:43,000 --> 01:43:52,000
Subtitles: Crowdsourced by Linghein Ho and friends

1869
01:43:52,370 --> 01:43:55,730
Under The Dome, by Chai Jing