Zero Hour Climate Change in China
In the fight against climate change, China has set out to be carbon neutral by 2060. Now, a new generation is taking up this goal in the face of environmental degradation, extreme weather events and the reality that they will be the ones affected most by climate inaction. This documentary not only features students, but also some of the creative solutions to fighting climate change.
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🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00 With the rise of global environmental problems,
00:04 Tsinghua University established an international class on global environment
00:08 in 2011. The objective was to expand environmental professional knowledge.
00:13 Cheng Haoxiang is an undergraduate.
00:16 I'm in the international class of Tsinghua University on global environment.
00:21 Tsinghua University is a very specialized university.
00:25 It focuses on the pollution management needs of the country.
00:29 So we have many experts in the field of air, soil, water and other pollution prevention.
00:35 In addition to the knowledge of engineering,
00:40 the international class also teaches environmental management,
00:43 law and other knowledge. I hope to cultivate a composite environment management talent.
00:48 I'm also interested in environmental management and the economy.
00:53 One of the things that motivates Cheng is his concern about future generations
01:03 suffering a shortage of resources.
01:05 We have limited energy, especially the chemicals we use on a large scale.
01:09 If we run out of these things, it will be difficult to get water in the world
01:14 in the next 20 or 30 years.
01:16 Or we won't have electricity.
01:18 We have so much electricity every day.
01:20 If we can't use it in the future, it will be a terrible situation.
01:23 In 2017, a strong typhoon caused extensive damage
01:35 as it passed through Cheng's hometown of Macau.
01:38 More than 10,000 people were killed.
01:40 It was the first time he witnessed the impact of climate change
01:43 on human beings and life.
01:45 Cheng's love of sports and nature is another reason he cares about the environment.
02:07 To add to that, he also likes the harmonious experience
02:10 that comes from performing in the art troupe military band.
02:14 All of this adds to why he hopes to one day be an environmental diplomat.
02:22 Cheng Yuwan is a graduate of Tsinghua's School of Environment.
02:32 He then earned a master's degree in environmental studies
02:35 through a joint programme between Tsinghua and Yale University.
02:39 Today, he works with the UN.
02:41 He's an example of a Chinese student
02:43 who's incorporating Western concepts into his sphere of environmental knowledge.
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03:36 (BIRDS CHIRPING)
03:39 Yanji Lake in southwest China's Yunnan Province
03:49 is the largest freshwater lake on the Yunnan Guizhou Plateau
03:53 and the main water source for the capital city Kunming.
03:57 Since the 1980s, though, the lake has been suffering from pollution.
04:02 A large-scale project began in the late 1990s to protect it,
04:06 and the efforts are starting to pay off.
04:09 It's hard to tell now, but for over a decade,
04:21 Yanji Lake was covered in thick algae and filled with toxic wastewater.
04:29 Today, the lake is being cleaned up,
04:32 and it's bringing residents and tourists back to its shores.
04:35 Li Chongxin is on the governance committee
04:56 that oversees Yanji Lake and this water treatment plant.
05:24 He and his team help reduce the high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus
05:27 found in the lake water.
05:53 And he has also upgraded and transformed the facility's sewage processing system.
05:58 (MUSIC PLAYING)
06:23 The microbial treatment technology Li uses has worked so well,
06:27 fish, birds and plant life have returned to Yanji Lake.
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07:08 Mengfei is doing just that.
07:16 His environmental protection organization
07:19 sponsors events that draw citizens together
07:22 and draw their attention to their natural surroundings.
07:25 Like this paddleboarding excursion on Dianqi.
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08:14 Meng is also what is known as a "river chief".
08:17 One of the keys to cleaning Dianqi Lake
08:20 has also been managing the 84 tributaries and 36 rivers that enter into it
08:25 by creating sewage blocking systems.
08:28 This allows Dianqi to receive fresh water that helps it to self-purify.
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09:00 While challenges remain,
09:19 Li sums up their efforts to restore the lake on a positive note.
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09:27 The whole region used to be a desert world.
09:43 The local people have joined forces with nature to push back the desert
09:47 and carved out a path of paradise amidst all the sand.
09:51 (WATER SPLASHING)
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10:40 Tongxi Meng went to college and graduated with a degree in forestry.
10:44 But instead of running away, he returned home in 1991
10:48 to put his desert control knowledge to use.
10:51 One of the biggest challenges of living in the Tengger Desert is transportation.
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11:37 Tong joined the government's scientific research team for desertification control.
11:47 Desertification is the degradation of drylands that happens as a result of climate change
11:53 and worsening droughts, as well as human activities like overgrazing.
12:01 With limited funds to solve the problem, Tong experimented with several methods
12:05 until he came up with a simple yet innovative solution —
12:08 a grass grid.
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13:33 The roots are eight to ten times longer than the grass itself,
13:36 and they reach deep enough to find underground water.
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13:47 Tong's team has a research arm that has attracted a new generation of scientists and researchers.
13:53 Staff here carry out experiments to refine the grass grid method.
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14:25 Researchers also study different soil compositions.
14:29 They are even experimenting with algae as a way to control the sand.
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15:13 Starting in 2000, the government began to invest more funds into reversing the certification.
15:18 Today, 1.5 million square kilometers of desert in China have been treated.
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16:23 Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his recent address to the United Nations General Assembly,
16:27 pledged to achieve carbon neutrality before 2060,
16:31 and also called for a global green revolution in the post-COVID era.
16:52 At Tsinghua University, students like Chen Xiaoxi have committed themselves
16:56 to realizing China's goal of carbon neutrality by 2060.
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18:22 It's not just students in the sciences dedicating themselves to this goal.
18:26 Wang Congnan is a student filmmaker at Tsinghua.
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20:38 (NEWSREEL)
20:42 The solar industry is expected to see more growth
20:45 and likely surpass wind power
20:48 as the country's third largest source of electricity.
20:51 Since 2011, China's solar power market has grown enormously.
20:56 In 2015, China outranked Germany
20:59 as the world's largest producer of photovoltaic energy.
21:02 Photovoltaic cells are the main component of a solar panel,
21:05 also called a module.
21:08 As sunlight hits the panel, it produces electricity.
21:11 The cells behind are called an array.
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21:27 Yang Peng works for an energy corporation in Anhui province
21:37 that helps power the state grid.
21:40 He says his job requires him to spend much of his time in the field,
21:43 advising clients and associates.
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22:54 Yang Peng routinely visits construction sites
22:57 to check on the phases of development.
23:00 Today, he's in Tianshan.
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23:52 Wind power is also an important part of the new energy industry.
23:56 Yang Peng and his colleagues, like Wang Shi,
23:59 are continually conscious of the environment in their work.
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25:03 As the climate crisis continues to pose pressing problems
25:06 to China and the globe,
25:08 Yang Peng and his team hope their efforts
25:10 help provide a green lifeline for their city.
25:13 China's decision to commit to a carbon-neutral future by 2060
25:27 is garnering praise at the United Nations.
25:31 The ancient city of Nanjing in Jiangsu Province
25:34 has been home to six Chinese dynasties.
25:37 Today, it's home to the ZTE Global 5G Intelligent Manufacturing Base,
25:44 a telecommunications provider using 5G technology
25:47 to empower digital transformation.
25:50 ZTE is also committed to building a green network.
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26:41 Zhang Huawei personally inspects all of the company's equipment,
26:44 which is connected through 5G technology,
26:47 to make a careful calculation of how much energy is being used.
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26:58 The company's data centre also plays a role
27:21 in lowering energy consumption.
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28:42 CTE has a strict grid management system in place,
29:02 which includes shutting off all of the office lights
29:05 when employees leave for a break.
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30:56 23-year-old Zhang Jiaxuan, who goes by her nickname Nora,
31:00 is a Chinese student pursuing her master's degree
31:03 in international studies at Johns Hopkins University
31:06 in Washington, D.C.
31:08 She hopes to use her education to fight climate change.
31:11 It was in 2016 when I attended
31:15 the college entrance examination in China,
31:18 and when I was exploring the different majors,
31:22 I was advised by the professors from Tsinghua University
31:25 like a newly launched program
31:27 called the Global Environment Program.
31:29 I checked the curriculum, and I found it really interesting.
31:32 It's quite an interdisciplinary curriculum,
31:36 and the program stressed a lot on practices
31:40 in international environment conferences.
31:43 So I took her suggestion,
31:46 and during my study in the college,
31:49 I became more interested in the specific topic
31:52 like climate change.
31:54 That's why I kept studying it here in Johns Hopkins University.
31:58 (MUSIC)
32:04 From droughts and wildfires in the western United States
32:10 to heat waves in France and Spain,
32:13 countries around the world are trying to adapt
32:15 to the globe's changing climate.
32:18 In July, record-breaking rains in China
32:21 killed more than 300 people.
32:24 (SIREN WAILING)
32:30 In Zhengzhou, the people there,
32:46 their life was really threatening at the time by the flooding.
32:50 Before that, many people in China
32:53 don't have an idea of climate change,
32:56 and they actually will not connect
32:58 the specific disaster with climate change.
33:01 But after that, more and more people started to discuss
33:04 about this issue, and more, like, expertise will just stand up
33:08 and say there is a relationship with climate change.
33:11 It's a disaster, absolutely,
33:14 and it's also like a signal for us to be aware
33:18 of climate change and its negative effects
33:20 and to know that China cannot survive
33:23 in the global climate change.
33:26 While pursuing her bachelor's degree in China,
33:35 Nora attended several international climate change conferences.
33:39 This year, she's representing China
33:43 during the Youth for Climate - Driving Ambition event held in Milan.
33:48 We will talk about the hot issues related to climate change
33:53 and the youth participation, including nature-based solutions,
33:56 which is my specialisation,
33:58 and I will gather more like 400 participants around the world,
34:03 so it's quite interesting.
34:05 And it's also a part of the COP26, the UNFCCC COP26.
34:09 After my graduation from Tsinghua University last year,
34:14 I joined the Institute of Climate Change
34:17 and Sustainable Development in Tsinghua University,
34:20 and there I started to do research
34:23 on the new term nature-based solutions.
34:26 So together with our volunteer team,
34:28 we conducted case studies based on, like, more than 300 cases
34:34 from all around the world on nature-based solutions.
34:37 So based on our results, we selected 28.
34:41 We called them, like, "gold cases,"
34:44 and we kind of summarised their highlights
34:47 and made some recommendations to the countries,
34:50 especially developing countries,
34:52 in implementing nature-based solutions.
34:55 So hopefully the English version of this report
34:58 will be published in this October
35:01 on the COP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity,
35:05 and hopefully I will be attending virtually.
35:08 [music]
35:11 One really interesting nature-based solution practice
35:15 would be the Green Great Wall in Africa,
35:18 like, initiated by the African Union
35:20 and with the support of different international organisations
35:23 such as the World Economic Forum and the United Nations.
35:27 So basically there will be, like, more than 20 African countries
35:32 joined together to pledge to build, like, a forestation belt
35:38 across the Sahara region, which is now covered by the desert.
35:44 They will just choose local species to plant,
35:48 and these local species are of economic value,
35:52 so the local people can actually gain from the project.
35:56 No matter the solution,
35:59 Nora believes her generation will be the one leading the movement.
36:03 I'm quite optimistic because I have known a lot of peers
36:08 who have a strong interest in climate change,
36:11 and they have done a lot of researches,
36:13 like field practices, both in Tsinghua University
36:16 and here in Johns Hopkins University.
36:18 So I'm quite optimistic about our generation.
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36:30 Chinese President Xi Jinping gave a speech
36:33 on China's commitment to fighting climate change.
36:36 President Xi emphasised China's commitment to green development
36:40 using a people-centred approach.
36:43 China's ancient waterways
36:47 have been helping the country's business prosper for 1,700 years.
36:52 The Qinghushan Channel in Huzhou, Zhejiang Province,
36:56 is one such waterway.
36:58 Gu Weihua runs his business on it.
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38:00 For commercial shipping,
38:01 China has been gradually making the transition from oil,
38:04 the traditional fuel for vessels,
38:06 to shore power, or shore-side electrical power.
38:09 It's helped improve Gu's quality of life.
38:12 His boat now has things like air conditioning and rice cookers.
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38:23 Almost 400 charging stations have been installed in Huzhou alone.
38:35 They help reduce fuel consumption by 136 tonnes
38:38 and carbon dioxide emissions by 428 tonnes per year.
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38:50 The advancement of shore power and photovoltaic energy
39:04 has helped move China in the direction of achieving its goal
39:07 of carbon neutralisation.
39:09 At the core of energy transformation and emissions reduction
39:12 are enterprises.
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41:48 Chinese cities need to use rainwater to replenish groundwater.
42:04 The new concept may help reclaim a lost way of life,
42:09 keeping as much water as possible.
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42:15 Shenzhen is a coastal city in the southern part of China.
42:24 During the summer, there's abundant rainfall,
42:30 but heavy torrential downpours have become more common.
42:40 With the help of tech companies, Shenzhen is becoming a sponge city,
42:45 finding ways to absorb and store the excess rainwater to reuse later on.
42:50 Technology giant Tencent is a major participant in the project.
42:56 Zhang Shanzhun has been working on the sponge city project since its inception.
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43:38 Zhang also received his master's degree in the UK,
43:55 studying water environment management.
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44:32 In 2020, Shenzhen launched the Smart Sponge Management System.
44:42 It adopts new technologies such as big data and the Internet of Things
44:46 to manage over 4,700 sponge projects in the city.
44:50 Tencent's cloud team, where Jiang worked, provided technical support.
44:56 [speaking Chinese]
45:24 Tencent has incorporated the nearby Futian Mangrove Nature Reserve into its program.
45:29 Because of Sponge City, the reserve has re-established a healthy ecosystem
45:33 and witnessed the return of wildlife.
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48:04 Hao Ran is from China and now studies renewable energy in Stockholm.
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49:01 Hao Ran created a community called 2030 Climate Plus, hosted on WeChat.
49:10 He invites young people to talk about climate issues and solutions.
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50:03 One action is research. Hao Ran is measuring how much emissions can be reduced
50:08 through electrifying race cars.
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50:20 Another project he's working on is related to community-generated energy.
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51:15 Hao Ran believes this research can't happen in a vacuum.
51:18 His activism also involves educating both the public as well as governments.
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52:53 In the Tangshan Desert, Tong Shiming tests a new grass variety for his grades.
53:17 While in Yunnan province, Li Chongxin checks the water quality levels in Dianqi Lake.
53:24 In Shenzhen, Jiang Shengjun collects data to find new ways to reuse rainwater.
53:35 And at Tsinghua University, Cheng Haoxiang immerses himself in his studies,
53:45 preparing to be part of the next generation of researchers, scientists, and innovators tackling climate change.
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