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Opinion / Zou Hanru
Separating fact from fiction
By Zou Hanru (China Daily)
Updated: 2007-08-24 07:06
The environmental problem has rightly become a global concern. Many of
the green advocates have done an admirable job raising public awareness
and spreading the message through the corridors of power.
But a few of them are inclined to present a picture more fictional than
factual.
Last week a representative from a Hong Kong green group challenged a
government official on a TV talk show over the government's effectiveness
in pollution control by citing the air pollution index (API), which he
claimed has shown a deterioration of air quality since 1997.
The official countered that the figures in question had been taken in the
remote town of Chek Lap Kok, which is merely one of the 13 stations that
comprise a city-wide monitoring network. The fact is, as the official
readily pointed out, the API has actually shown an improvement in town
centers' roadside air quality compared to 10 years ago.
Overstating environmental problems has a long tradition. Centuries ago
when horse-drawn carriages were the major vehicle of transportation, it
was suggested that rapid surge of carriage traffic caused by the
expansion of population and economic activities would see horse dung
accumulate at a much faster rate than they could be removed, therefore
resulting in roads and even cities being buried under them.
Such a scenario never materialized, of course, thanks to the advance of
technology - the invention of the motor vehicle.
In the previous century, the oil crisis led to the pessimistic prediction
that the exhaustion of energy resources might spell the end of modern
civilization as we know it. But then soaring oil prices prompted many
countries to start cutting down on fuel consumption with energy-saving
measures and technology.
The latest fear is global warming, hyped by such facts as the melting of
glaciers in the Arctic and, particularly, the evident rise of
temperatures worldwide. Will what happened in the movie The Day After
Tomorrow become a reality?
While the rise of world temperatures and sea levels could pose serious
problems and the escalation of such a situation ought to be prevented,
some have already pointed out that the prospects of higher temperatures
may not be as undesirable as environmentalists have tried to make us
believe.
With thick ice sheets melting, huge amounts of minerals and energy
resources buried deep under the Arctic or the Russian tundra may now
become accessible. Vast expanses of frozen lands that could not be
developed in the past could be put to meaningful use. Yes, more people
are dying from heat waves in summer, but more lives could also be saved
from the freezing cold in winter.
While warnings from environmentalists do serve as a useful reminder that
we should take better care of the planet, we have to scrutinize these
warnings with care lest we could be thrown into unnecessary panic.
The green group spokesman on the TV show represented those who are ready
to draw public attention to figures and factors that favor their point
but neglect, sometimes intentionally, those that do not.
While there is still much room for improvement in the government's
anti-pollution campaign, it is undeniable that it has redoubled its
efforts in this respect. It has, for instance, stepped up collaboration
with the neighboring province of Guangdong in setting emission control
targets.
It is also trying to cut domestic pollution by encouraging power
companies to use cleaner power-generation methods and vehicle owners to
use cleaner fuels. Such efforts are paying off as evidenced by the API
and the increase of clear days this summer.
Environmental protection is a long battle to be won. But scare tactics
will only derail its course.
E-mail: zouhr@chinadaily.com.hk
(China Daily 08/24/2007 page10)
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