Joe’s Diary – Week 6

I think anyone who is travelling abroad would be curious to know about the environment of the country, and worry about getting used to the new place. Fortunately, I have an old friend living in China for 10 years and he shared with me some information about the environment in China.

My friend told me that he arrived in China in the mid 1990s and every time when he went out his eyes got dry easily. He always had an uncomfortable feeling in his throat like it was stuck with sandpaper. According to statistics from the banking, out of the 20 most polluted cities in the world, 16 were in China. That was because during the mid 1990s people in China were struggling with more important issues such as having adequate clothing and food. However, when living conditions became stable, people began to pay more attention to problems about environment and health . Therefore, the government started to take action.

China now advocates the use of renewable energy sources to reduce the use of fossil energy. China’s renewable energy comes mainly from hydro, solar and wind. Wind turbines can now be seen in many places in China, turning around under the blue sky.

These measures have indeed achieved good results. Take Beijing’s “blue sky” as an example. Ten years ago, Beijing’s blue sky was rare. Now Beijing’s sky is getting bluer and the air quality is getting better and better.

On the other hand, China’s water has also become clear. The creeks in the countryside have become clean, no more rubbish everywhere, and there are more fish and shrimp in the creek. When the weather is good, children can be seen playing by the stream, and the peasant
woman washes clothes by the stream.

It can be said that environment in China has undergone tremendous changes and has improved tremendously. Now I am really looking forward to seeing it.

我想每一个要出国的朋友都会想知道要去的国家环境是什么样的吧，担心自己进入另一个陌生的环境，是否会适应那里的环境呢。我也是，还好有个老朋友在中国。
他去中国已经有十几年了。十几年前他刚到中国的时候，大概是上个世纪九十年代中期吧，他每次出行，喉咙很不舒服，像有人塞了砂纸一样。眼睛也感觉很生涩。那个时候，80%的发电来自煤炭，一年中见到蓝天的时候屈指可数。世界银行业有数据说，那个时候20个污染最严重的城市中，有16个来自中国。
可以说，那个时候人们更关注的是温饱问题。温饱问题解决以后，人们开始把注意力转移到环境与身体健康问题上。中国的政府也积极采取各种措施保护环境。
中国现在提倡使用可再生能源，减少化石能源的使用。中国的可再生能源主要来自水力、太阳能和风力。现在中国很多地方都可以看到风力发电机，在蓝天下转呀转。
这些措施也的确取得了很好的效果。以北京的“蓝天”为例。10年前，北京的蓝天不多见，现在北京的天越来越蓝，空气质量越来越好。
另一方面，中国的水也变清了。农村的小溪变干净了，不再到处都是垃圾，小溪里的鱼虾也多起来了，天气好的时候可以看到小朋友在溪边玩，农妇在溪边洗衣服呢。
看来，中国的环境最近发生了挺大的变化，有了很大的提高。好期待去看看真实的中国。

Read & Think

• Why developing renewable energy is vital to China?
• Do you have any suggestion to solve the problem of air pollution in Beijing?