I have already written several posts concerning my recent trip to China. Today, I want deviate a bit from financial planning and share my thoughts on a problem for which China has received a lot of attention. When I was in Beijing, I had the opportunity to witness the amazing efforts made by the Chinese government to alleviate the pollution that was strangling its capital city. There is nothing like the world stage of the Olympics to make a country clean up its act ... literally.
When I visited Beijing in October 2007, the pollution was a palpable component of this busy city. The only time I could see the skyline and the beautiful mountains in the distance was after a heavy rainfall washed away the contaminants. The smog and stench reminded me of Los Angeles in the 1970s, which is not a pleasant comparison.
My trip last month came just as the Beijing Olympics had reached their conclusion. The efforts that had been made to curb pollution were still evident, with factories idled and construction held to a minimum. Los Angeles and Beijing once again shared similar skies, but this time it was because the air was clear.
It took Los Angeles twenty to thirty years to clean up the pollution that had clogged its environment. Beijing accomplished the same feat in about three months. The work done by the Chinese shows that real and substantial improvements can be made to the level of pollution. And, it reinforces the point that the Chinese government will work until successful completion at any task it is given. This point is important to keep in mind not only in terms of environmental policy, but also when considering global economic power and the desire of the Chinese to be the dominant player.
Our systems of government are quite different, so we certainly cannot expect (nor want) our leaders to take the drastic steps ordered by the Chinese to clean up for the Olympics. However, the transformation of Beijing serves as a fascinating model for our study.
No comments:
Post a Comment