Climate Change: A Challenge and Responsibility for all Nations A Conversation with Shi Haitao

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2 Climate Change: A Challenge and Responsibility for all Nations A Conversation with Shi Haitao Orlando, Florida, U.S.A.

3 Worldviews for the 21st Century: A Monograph Series John C. Bersia, Editor-in-Chief Stephanie Gavarrete, Business Editor Mark Freeman, Marketing Editor Gabriela Othon, Research Editor Joshua A. Smith, Composition Editor The Global Connections Foundation, which evolved from an international awarenessbuilding program established in 1999, is a non-profit, non-partisan, non-ideological educational partnership. Its initiatives include regional forums, speakers, study/research programs abroad, awards and publications. The Office of the Special Assistant to the President for Global Perspectives (Global Perspectives Office) at the University of Central Florida was established by President John C. Hitt in 2001 to sharpen the University s international focus. The office helps advance UCF s goal of providing international emphasis in curricula and research. In addition, it endeavors to expand the University s efforts to enlarge Central Florida s awareness and understanding of the interconnectedness of the global community. The views expressed in this monograph are entirely those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the staff, officers or advisors of the Global Connections Foundation, the University of Central Florida s Global Perspectives Office or UCF s Political Science Department. Program Offices: University of Central Florida Howard Phillips Hall, Room Central Florida Blvd. P.O. Box Orlando, Florida U.S.A. (407) /0688 (407) (fax) global@mail.ucf.edu Worldviews for the 21st Century Volume 5, Number 2 Copyright 2007 by the Global Connections Foundation All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America First printing, 2007 Printed by Dahlquist Printing and Graphics, Orlando, Florida, U.S.A. The Worldviews for the 21st Century series, a key part of the Global Connections Foundation s educational networking activities, gratefully acknowledges the support of the Darden Restaurants Foundation.

4 Climate Change: A Challenge and Responsibility for all Nations A Conversation with Shi Haitao Question: The issue of climate change has captivated attention worldwide. From your perspective, what do we face, and how should we address the problem? Shi Haitao: Without question, climate change is a global problem. And human beings, as a group, must confront it. The realization that there is a problem, though, is not new. This happened many years ago. Unfortunately, the conditions leading to the problem have not been stopped or changed. In fact, the situation is becoming worse. In China, climate change is as much of a challenge as it is for nations everywhere. Q: How does climate change affect the area where you live? A: I live on Hainan, an island in a tropical area that features plenty of vegetation. This is a relatively small place, entirely surrounded by the sea, where the air is much better than what you would find on mainland China. Another reason is that Hainan is in a special geographical position. During the time of the Cold War, the island s position was very sensitive, because of its proximity to Vietnam, the

5 Philippines, Taiwan, and also the South China Sea. Our government always described it as a frontier of the war. This is why the economy here is quite undeveloped; there is little industry. But in other places, especially the industrial areas of the northeastern part of China, you have very different circumstances. Q: Please describe those circumstances. A: Some years ago, certain cities were invisible from satellites because of pollution, clouding and such. I completed my Ph.D. in Beijing, where pollution is very heavy. For example, a white shirt becomes dirty there in just one day, whereas on Hainan one can wear such a shirt for a week without problems. Of course, pollution of the kind that makes a white shirt dirty in one day can lead to diseases. On the other hand, most of the people in China are eager to be rich. Without industry, it is difficult to become wealthy. What we are taking is the shortest way to this goal. Q: How should we approach the global pollution issue? A: Well, you really need to approach it at the national level in each country, with each doing its share. I personally appreciate what our country is doing. During this past year, it has adopted a series of measures that should prove effective. Not long ago, lots of factories here made paper and other products. At that time, their energy efficiency was very low; thus, high pollution was the result. To some extent, this is inevitable in a developing country. Q: But surely you have critics who say otherwise? A: Certainly. The view among many educators in China is that we should not go the way of the Western countries, where pollution has done so much damage to the environment. Those countries focused on developing first, and now they are trying to fix the problem. It is not a good idea, because then it is too late to save much of what you lose. Certain species, if you lose them, are gone forever. We need natural forests, along with the flora and fauna that are found in them. 4

6 Essentially, what we teach people is to learn from the mistakes other people have made. Of course, you also must clean up the problems that have been caused, and increasingly there is technology that is available worldwide. The Western countries have made a lot of progress in this area, and the Chinese admire that effort. Q: To return to the measures that have been instituted in China, could you elaborate? A: During this past year, the country has adopted many measures to stop high-pollution, low-output factories. The strategy was effective because violators had to pay penalties ranging from fines to prison sentences. Lots of people were punished. On television and in the newspapers, it became very common for us to hear and read about pollution. Now, we are also hearing and reading about holding accountable those who caused it. All is revealed. The nation is facing its pollution problem, not hiding it. Q: What effect does this awareness have on the Chinese people? A: Most of them are awakening; they realize that power and riches should not be the ultimate goals for human beings. Happiness is a more appropriate goal. If one contracts cancer or another disease, what good is power or riches? For that matter, what good is life itself? We must try our best to decrease as much as possible the air s pollution. This is not just the responsibility of one nation; it is the responsibility of every nation. We live in a global environmental village, if you will. If you do not care about it, your position is not moral. After all, your polluted air moves to other areas. Q: And water pollution? A: This is a similar issue, although much more serious. No river is entirely separate from the rest of the global water system. So much of our life depends on water, from food to drink. In general, lots of developing areas, because they lack access to advanced technology, 5

7 use relatively primitive methods to make various products. People in those places need better technology to purify and filter the water. But the cost is very high. If they buy it, they risk having little or no profit left. Q: What is your opinion about the proliferation of cars worldwide, including in China? A: In the future, this will increasingly be a problem. Just three years ago, the campus of my university was relatively open. Now it is very crowded with cars. I would rather not have them. I always ask why everyone has cars. The situation in China is much different. In Western countries, people often have their homes away from universities, businesses and so forth. They can live far away. Cars are needed. From my office to my home, walking takes just five minutes. If you need to ride, you can take a taxi. It is a lot cheaper than owning a car. If you buy a car, you will end up using it too much. The car is a status symbol. Now is the time to remind people that they must realize the car is one of the polluting culprits. Also, when people always drive cars, it is not helpful to their health. Bicycling and walking are much better. People grow so dependent that they do not wish to walk even one step. This viewpoint has to change. Our government certainly realizes the problem of the car, but it also wishes for the country to develop as much as possible, which is important for China s position in the world. Q: How do we fix the climate-change problem? A: We need worldwide collaboration to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, such as through the Kyoto Protocol. The United States is the leading country in contributing to this problem through its emissions. We have but a single common planet, the Earth, and we should control how much we emit. We should have global agreement by all countries, with commitments to control their own pollution and provide proper education about the problem. 6

8 Q: Of course, this subject becomes especially important with the 2008 Olympic summer games that will be held in China. A: Yes, it was a long process to secure this honor. The Chinese government and people have paid close attention to the games. We want to host the best ones in the world. Air pollution is a very sensitive topic. That is why we chose the best season for the Olympics and adopted lots of measures to improve pollution, especially in Beijing. The world s eyes are on you. If the sky of the city is green and smoky, it will be very bad for the games. Shi Haitao, one of China s leading scientists, is the chair of the Department of Biology at Hainan Normal University, the head of the Key Discipline for Ecology in Hainan Province, the head of the Hainan Biodiversity Museum and the head of the Education Center for the Environment and Ecology of Hainan Province. He shared his thoughts with the editorial staff of the Worldviews for the 21st Century monograph series during a visit to Central Florida for presentations and community meetings in August