Under the Dome
穹頂之下何日見青天 粗放經濟害子孫萬代
文章日期:2015年5月8日

雙語社評齊齊聽

英語 (足本收聽)

普通話 (足本收聽)

【明報專訊】NO SOONER had it been put on the Internet than Under the Dome, a documentary former CCTV journalist Chai Jing had made with her own money, garnered over a hundred million views. It has aroused nationwide concern not because of what Ms Chai experienced herself, but because of what afflicts the 1.3 billion people in China. When will they see an azure sky? So far China, which embarked on its "reform and opening-up" thirty years ago, has yet to resolve the dichotomy (or strike a balance) between "development" and "conservation". Xi Jinping has kept harping on the "Chinese dream", but a blue sky is what all mainlanders now most fervently dream forward to.

audio 1

中央電視台前記者柴靜自費拍攝的紀錄片《穹頂之下》 ,甫在網絡推出,迅速累積逾億點擊。紀錄片引起全國關注,不在於柴靜的個人經歷,而是紀錄片指出了全國13億人民的共同痛苦﹕何日方可見青天。改革開放30年,中國始終無法走出「發展」與「保育」的二元對立,始終無以取得平衡。若是以習近平所言的「中國夢」,清澈藍天應是內地此刻最大的共同夢想。

audio 1

The dark clouds over the mainland have come from its extensive economic development amid "reform and opening-up" in the past three decades. Smog has much to do with the keen GDP competition between mainland localities that has gone on over the past decade. As everybody knows, smog over China has everything to do with the way power is generated there. Most of the power used there comes from coal. The figure is about 60%; some say it amounts to as much as 70%. This is the case because, as mentioned above, the Chinese economy has developed in an extensive manner over the past three decades. China takes pride in its rapid economic growth (at over 8% a year), but it has actually been achieved with high wastage, high pollution and low efficiency.

audio 2

中國大陸頭頂上的黑雲源於改革開放30年來的粗放式經濟發展,近10多年,霧霾更與地方的GDP激烈比併直接拉上關係。眾所周知,霧霾與中國的能源使用模式是二而一的因果,全國能源的使用多以煤炭為主,約佔全部能源消耗逾六成,有一個說法是達到七成之巨。這一情况的由來,正如前面所述,是30年間粗放式經濟發展模式之故,傲視全球的年逾8%的經濟高速發展,實是以消耗高、污染大、效率低的方式達至。

audio 2

When the economy grows rapidly, people acquire wealth. Automobiles have appeared in large numbers, and they cause another kind of pollution. As environment protection agencies have pointed out, vehicle exhaust fumes are the major source of PM2.5. Local emissions are blamed for 75% of the air pollution in Beijing, and exhaust fumes account for 20% of them. The situation is similar in Tianjin, which is near Beijing.

audio 3

經濟快速增長,民間財富累積,汽車大量湧現,這帶來另一種污染。各地環保部門指出,汽車廢氣是城巿PM2.5的主要來源,北京的大氣污染七成五源自本地排放,其中汽車污染佔逾兩成,毗鄰的天津情况亦相若。

audio 3

"Shock Therapy" with administrative decrees produces only transient results. It is necessary to take long-term measures - to deal with polluters, use better energy sources and decisively close down extremely pollutant operations so that things will improve once and for all. Unless such measures are taken, it will be impossible to end pollution on the mainland even if a hundred more documentaries like Under the Dome are produced. It is painful for Chinese officials eager to build up the economy to take this road. Environment protection roads are like this in the West, though Western countries have achieved their goals. But for such efforts, air would not be clean in London (which was shrouded in coal smog a century ago) or Los Angeles (which was shrouded in vehicle exhaust fumes there decades ago). Now people can admire the steeples of the Westminster Abbey against an azure sky and gaze into the distance in southern California.

audio 4

行政命令式的「震盪治療法」只能是短期措施,若無法從長遠着手治理,即是從污染源的處理以及優化能源消耗,大刀砍去極度污染工業換來長治久安的環境,那麼即使再多一百部《穹頂之下》,中國大陸的污染依然無法根治。這一條路,於汲汲於追求經濟建設的中國各級官員而言是「必要之痛」。西方國家的環保道路也是如此,只是這些地方已臻目標,若非如此,百年前倫敦的煤炭霧霾、30年前的洛杉磯汽車毒霧,俱無法在整治之後耳清目明。如今西敏寺塔尖直指藍天,南加州可以極目遠眺。

audio 4

Environment protection costs money, but it may also pay dividends. We should learn lessons from what has happened in the US. Three decades ago, the computer technology industry emerged in that country; now, the hottest industry there is that of renewable energy (commonly called clean energy). What is relied on to generate power is neither coal nor nuclear fuel but wind, sun and water. The electrical car industry does look very promising. It is certainly wrong to develop the economy at the expense of the environment. The Chinese economy is expected to grow 7% this year. There is now an opportunity to take stock of China's extensive economic development over the past three decades and make preparations for taking a road to paradise. It is time for central and local authorities to change their mindsets and do what may allow posterity to enjoy an azure sky and blue seas.

audio 5

况且,環保不是支出,亦有紅利,美國的例子值得借鑑。繼30年前的電腦科技產業冒頭,如今炙手可熱的是再生能源,或是俗稱的所謂「清潔能源」。這不是煤炭也非核電,而是風能太陽能水力發電;電動車則成為具有遠大前景的工業。經濟發展絕不應以環境保育為代價,中國預測今年經濟增長7%,這是對30年粗放式經濟發展的沉澱良機,為走上另一條朝天大路做好準備——從中央到地方,現在該是換一換腦袋、為後世子孫可以生活在碧海青天播下種子的時候。

audio 5

明報社評2015.03.10

Presented by lecturers of Hong Kong Community College, PolyU and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

WONG, Franco Fong-ching

HKCC Lecturer

www.hkcc-polyu.edu.hk/staff_directory/social_communication/details.php?id=156&lang=eng

袁振華博士

香港理工大學中國語文教學中心副總監及講師

www.cbs.polyu.edu.hk/staff-chi/chunwah-yuen.php

Powered by and