溫家寶呼籲採取治污措施

中國國務院總理溫家寶週二呼籲採取措施﹐減少污染。這是到目前為止中國回應近幾週國內大部分地區有害空氣質量的最高級別領導。

溫家寶的話表明了中國官員的擔心﹐即對於中國高層領導來說﹐這個問題可能會成為政治問題。

據中國中央政府網站發佈的一份聲明顯示﹐溫家寶在與業界領袖和其他非政府人士的會議上說﹐最近的霧霾天氣對人們生產生活和身體健康都造成影響。

溫家寶說﹐我們應該採取切實有效的措施﹐加快推進產業結構和佈局調整﹐推進節能減排。他的開會講話週二在全國電視晚間新聞節目中播出。

兩週前﹐中國國務院副總理李克強也發表過類似講話。外界普遍預計李克強將於今年3月接替溫家寶任總理。中國官方通訊社新華社報道﹐李克強當時說﹐我們應加強《環保法》的執法力度﹐提醒公眾保護自身健康。

溫家寶是在北京連續第三天彌漫嗆人的灰色霧霾時發表上述言論的。據位於北京東部美國駐華大使館內的監測站顯示﹐北京微粒污染物PM2.5的濃度自週日清晨以來就一直處於“有毒害”的水平。中國環保部說﹐不只北京﹐中國中東部大部分地區都籠罩在霧霾之下﹐污染面積達130萬平方公里﹐是美國加州面積的三倍多。

週二﹐北京空氣重度污染﹐這是本月該市受到的第四次霧霾天氣侵襲。兩週前﹐北京首次啟動了新計劃﹐暫停施工和工業活動﹐限制使用政府車輛﹐下令學校取消室外活動。北京是在其PM2.5濃度達到美國推薦最高標準25倍以上的情況下採取這項措施的。之後北京說﹐打算採取多種治污措施﹐如提高車輛排放標準。

嚴重的污染促使中國通常順從的國有媒體刊登了批評性的報道。電視新聞報道顯示污染十分嚴重﹐一些地方的能見度僅有數米遠。新華社週二報道說﹐北京市區一家兒科醫院本月接診了9,000名兒童﹐數量創下紀錄﹐其中大多是因流感、肺炎、氣管炎、支氣管炎和哮喘而就醫。

國有媒體報道了兩週前的一起事件﹐中國東部浙江省的低能見度導致當地人未能注意到一間家具廠已經起火燃燒了四個小時。

這也使得包括李克強和國家副主席習近平在內的中國新任領導人面對一個棘手的問題。預計習近平將在今年3月接替胡錦濤任國家主席。中國活躍的社交網絡服務上的調查和交流顯示﹐公眾對污染問題越來越擔心。去年11月被任命為中國共產黨新任最高領導人時﹐習近平在面向全國發表的講話中提及了這個問題。與此同時﹐中國領導人對於採取可能阻礙經濟增長的舉措心存謹慎﹐而且任何對污染源頭施加有力限制的嘗試都將面臨強大的國有企業以及地方政府的抵制﹐地方政府依賴國企解決就業和財政收入問題。

週二﹐中國房地產大亨潘石屹呼籲中國的人大採取行動﹐這凸顯了公眾在環境問題上的不滿情緒。人大是中國的立法機構﹐雖然事實上它只是例行公事地批准中共高層領導人的決定。

潘石屹本人也是人大代表。潘石屹說﹐治理空氣污染需要全民參與﹐最重要的是立法。我會以人大代表的身份將投票結果提交人大和政府。

潘石屹還在他的賬戶上發起了是否支持出台空氣清潔法案的投票。這個不具科學性的投票結果顯示﹐將近3.2萬微博用戶表示支持立法﹐大約250人反對立法﹐僅有超過120人沒想好。

儘管如此﹐仍有一些人懷疑這樣的法律在一個執法鬆散的國家能否有效。一名用戶對潘石屹發起的投票評論道﹕你能保證立法被通過嗎？一旦通過﹐你能確保法律的實施嗎？會有人監督嗎？

Aaron Back/Josh Chin


Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao called Tuesday for action to alleviate pollution, representing the highest-level acknowledgment to date of hazardous air-quality levels across much of China in recent weeks.

Mr. Wen's comments suggest concern among officials that the issue could become a political problem for the top leadership.

'Recent smoggy weather is affecting people's production and their health,' Mr. Wen said during a meeting with industry leaders and other private citizens, according to a statement posted on the central government's website.

'We should take certain and effective measures to accelerate industrial restructuring, and push forward energy conservation and emissions reduction,' Mr. Wen said. His call to address the issue also was broadcast on China's nationally televised evening-news program on Tuesday.

Mr. Wen's comments follow a similar call two weeks ago from Vice Premier Li Keqiang, who is widely expected to succeed Mr. Wen as premier in March. 'We should strengthen efforts to enforce environmental protection laws and remind people to protect themselves,' Mr. Li said, according to state-run Xinhua news agency.

The comments came on the third straight day of gray, choked skies over Beijing. Levels of fine particulate pollution, known as PM2.5, have been at 'hazardous' levels in the city since early Sunday morning, according to pollution monitors at the U.S. Embassy in eastern Beijing. China's Ministry of Environmental Protection said the smog was part of a cloud covering much of eastern and central China with an area totaling 1.3 million square kilometers, or more than three times the size of California.

Tuesday's air-pollution levels marked the fourth bout of heavy smog to hit the region this month. Two weeks ago the city of Beijing for the first time activated a new plan restricting construction and industrial activity, curbing vehicle use by government officials and ordering schools to limit outside activity. The move was prompted when levels of PM2.5 hit more than 25 times the top recommended standard in the U.S. Beijing has since said it plans to tighten vehicle emissions standards, among other measures.

The pollution levels have spurred critical coverage in China's normally docile state-run media, with TV news broadcasts showing pollution so intense it limits visibility to a few meters in some places. Xinhua on Tuesday reported that a pediatric hospital in downtown Beijing has treated a record 9,000 children this month, mostly for flu, pneumonia, tracheitis, bronchitis and asthma.

In one incident two weeks ago covered by state-run media, low visibility conditions in the eastern province of Zhejiang prevented locals from noticing that a furniture factory had been on fire for four hours.

The issue puts China's new leaders─including Mr. Li and Vice President Xi Jinping, who is expected to succeed Hu Jintao as president in March─in a tight spot. Surveys and conversation on China's vibrant social-networking services show increased public concerns over pollution. Mr. Xi noted the issue in a national address in November when he was named the Chinese Communist Party's new top leader. At the same time, Chinese leaders are leery of making moves that could hinder economic growth, and any attempt to impose meaningful restrictions on polluters would face opposition from powerful state-owned enterprises and local governments that depend on them for employment and revenue.

In one sign of public dissatisfaction, Chinese real-estate mogul Pan Shiyi on Tuesday used his widely read account on Sina Corp.'s Weibo microblogging service to call for action from the National People's Congress. The body is China's legislature, though in practice it rubber-stamps the decisions made by senior Communist Party leaders.

'Controlling air pollution requires the participation of every citizen. Most important is implementing laws,' wrote Mr. Pan, himself a member of the NPC. 'I will use my position as an NPC delegate to submit the results of this vote to the NPC and the government.'

Mr. Pan also held a vote on his account on the popularity of such a move. The unscientific poll showed nearly 32,000 microbloggers said they agreed, while about 250 said they were opposed and just over 120 said they weren't sure.

Still, some questioned whether the law would have an impact in a country where enforcement is often lax. 'Can you get a law passed? Once it's passed, can you enforce it? Will there be supervision?' one Sina Weibo user wrote in response to Mr. Pan's poll.

Aaron Back/Josh Chin