{"id":13044,"date":"2015-12-10T13:02:30","date_gmt":"2015-12-10T18:02:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/%year%\/%monthnum%\/%day%\/as-smog-hangs-over-beijing-chinese-cite-air-pollution-as-major-concern\/"},"modified":"2024-04-14T03:18:50","modified_gmt":"2024-04-14T08:18:50","slug":"as-smog-hangs-over-beijing-chinese-cite-air-pollution-as-major-concern","status":"publish","type":"short-read","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2015\/12\/10\/as-smog-hangs-over-beijing-chinese-cite-air-pollution-as-major-concern\/","title":{"rendered":"As smog hangs over Beijing, Chinese cite air pollution as major concern"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Most<\/a><\/figure>\n\n

Beijing\u00a0experienced more than 200 days of air pollution categorized as \u201cunhealthy\u201d or worse in 2014, including 21 days that were \u201chazardous\u201d \u2013 while only about\u00a010 days were considered \u201cgood,\u201d according to data gathered by the U.S. Embassy in Beijing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

This week, smog\u00a0was so severe that authorities declared a \u201cred alert\u201d<\/a> for the first time, closing down schools, halting construction and limiting car traffic. The alert came during a week when negotiators at the U.N. climate summit in Paris accused\u00a0China of trying to weaken<\/a> a global accord, and a month after a report that China has been burning up to 17% more coal a year<\/a> than it previously disclosed.<\/p>\n\n

Environmental conditions\u00a0in China have stoked worries\u00a0among the public there about air pollution and whether the situation is likely to improve. But when it comes to the broader subject of climate change that is being discussed in Paris, the Chinese show less intensity in their concerns compared with\u00a0people in many other nations.<\/p>\n\n

\"Views<\/a><\/figure>\n\n

About three-quarters (76%) of people in China say air pollution is a big problem, including\u00a035% who\u00a0regard it as a very\u00a0<\/em>big problem, according to our spring 2015 global survey<\/a>.\u00a0About the same number of Chinese (75%) say water pollution is a very or moderately\u00a0big problem, and of 15 issues tested, both rank\u00a0among the public\u2019s top concerns.<\/p>\n\n

More than a third (36%) of the public believes air pollution\u00a0will improve over the next five years. But 34% of Chinese expect the situation\u00a0to worsen and 22% say it will remain the same over that time period.<\/p>\n\n

Chinese living in Beijing and Shanghai, the country\u2019s two largest cities, are the most\u00a0pessimistic of those polled<\/a>: 53% believe air pollution\u00a0will worsen in the next five years.<\/p>\n\n

In March, a documentary about air pollution entitled \u201cUnder the Dome\u201d went viral in China, drawing more than 150 million viewers<\/a>\u00a0on video sites like\u00a0Youku\u00a0in less than a week. China\u2019s minister of environmental protection, Chen Jining,\u00a0referred to the phenomena<\/a>\u00a0as the nation\u2019s \u201cSilent Spring<\/a>\u201d moment (when a book rallied the\u00a0U.S. public to push for pesticide limits). However, the Communist Party\u00a0pulled the video offline shortly afterward.<\/p>\n\n

Both the video and the U.S. Embassy data focus on PM2.5 (particulate matter with diameters of 2.5 micrometers or less), which are found in smog and acid rain and originate from coal plants, diesel trucks, dust from construction sites, and other sources. These tiny pollutants are among the most dangerous, as they can embed in lungs and enter the bloodstream, leading to heart and respiratory problems, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Despite widespread concern about air pollution, the Chinese are\u00a0less intensely worried about the broader issue of climate change than people in many other nations.<\/span>\u00a0Three-quarters of people in China, the world\u2019s top polluter, say climate change is at least a somewhat serious problem, but just 18% say it\u2019s a \u201cvery serious\u201d problem \u2013 a decline of 23 percentage points since 2010, and much lower than the 54% median in 40 countries surveyed<\/a> who say the same.<\/p>\n\n

Another 73% of Chinese are at least somewhat concerned that climate change will harm them personally, but again, just 15% say they are \u201cvery concerned\u201d \u2013 compared with a 40% global median who are very concerned.<\/p>\n\n

To address the issue, 56% of people in China believe rich countries should do more than developing countries because they have produced most of the emissions so far, compared with 33% who say developing countries should do just as much because they will emit the most\u00a0in the future.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Overall, a broad majority (71%) of Chinese support an international deal limiting greenhouse gas emissions, roughly in line\u00a0with the 78% global median who agree.<\/p>\n\n

Note: The data for air quality at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing refer to categories based on U.S. EPA standards<\/a>. China collects its own PM2.5 data<\/a> and has\u00a0different standards.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Beijing experienced more than 200 days of air pollution categorized as \u201cunhealthy\u201d or worse in 2014, including 21 days that were \u201chazardous.\u201d 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