There has been plenty of pomp and ceremony, political protest and business deals during Chinese president Xi Jinping鈥檚 state visit to the UK this week. Less has been said about the pressing issue of air pollution back in his home country and censorship of it.
His hosts should urge that research about environmental issues and pollution levels be released to the Chinese people, so they can be fully informed about risks to their health and, where possible, take precautions. The Chinese government often seeks to restrict the latest data on pollution and its impact.
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Globally, around 7 million people died in 2012 due to bad air quality, according to recent from the World Health Organization. The data it used was by Yale University鈥檚 Center for Environmental Law and Policy and shows China is among the worst for exposure to fine particulate matter, a pollutant that can .
But when a documentary called , which tackled the issue of air pollution in China, was broadcast there earlier this year, it was soon .
The film focused on microscopic airborne soot, but discussed it from a human point of view that made it clear and accessible to viewers. The presenter, Chinese environmental activist Chai Jing, spoke about its impact on her life and that of her 6-year-old daughter. The film is now being compared to Rachel Carson鈥榮 book Silent Spring, which highlighted the damage caused by pesticides in the US and led to a ban on the chemical DDT.
After its release, the film went viral across the world, with reports about its censorship drawing global attention.
Stifled debate
Now it seems this was not the only way that the Chinese government chose to restrict information to the public, according to published for the first time in the current Index on Censorship magazine, by environmental studies professor Matthew Auer of Bates College, Maine, US, and King-wa Fu of the University of Hong Kong.
They studied how Weibo, China鈥檚 answer to Twitter, had also been censored, with hundreds of posts related to Under the Dome being removed. These posts covered subjects such as demonstrations and accusations that the government was not taking responsibility for pollution.
President Xi has stated that he is seriously committed to cleaning up pollution, and has appealed to the public to participate in this.
Air pollution is not just one nation鈥檚 problem, but certainly China鈥檚 is severe, and since air doesn鈥檛 respect borders this has implications for other countries.
Surely Xi鈥檚 responsibility is not to stifle debate, but to share scientific research and data with his own people and with other governments, so that the world can best tackle this ever increasing problem.
Image credit: China Daily/Reuters
