How Does China Remove Air Pollution From Cities For Prestigious International Events?
Smog is a major problem in Chinese urban centres. In this video, ANNA AHLERS explores how the Chinese authorities go about removing air pollution from cities in advance of prestigious international events. Focusing on actions taken in relation to the 2016 G20 summit in Hangzhou, Ahlers and her colleagues carry out interviews with scientists and local government officials, triangulating their responses with a range of other data sources. Identifying a high level of collaboration between scientists and local authorities, Ahlers notes that many of the environmental measures introduced for the G20 were designed to have lasting impact. Beyond its focus on environmental policy, the research offers important insights into the workings of Chinese local government and the role that scientific information plays in policy formulation in China.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21036/LTPUB10843Max Planck Institute for the History of Science
Founded in 1994, the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (MPIWG) in Berlin is one of more than 80 research institutes administered by the Max Planck Society. The Institute is dedicated to the study of the history of science, aiming to understand scientific thinking and practice as historical phenomena from a variety of methodological and interdisciplinary perspectives. Our research draws on the reflective potential of the history of science to address current challenges in scientific scholarship, exploring the changing meaning of fundamental scientific concepts as well as how cultural developments shape scientific practices. The Institute’s projects span all eras of human history and a multitude of cultures globally, ranging from the origins of continuity systems in Mesopotamia to present-day science in China, Renaissance natural history, and the past of quantum mechanics. The Institute also draws on the reflective potential of the history of science to address current challenges in scientific scholarship.
Original Publication
Blue Sky Fabrication in China: Science-Policy Integration in Air Pollution Regulation Campaigns for Mega-Events
Yongdong Shen
,Anna L. Ahlers
Published in 2019