Environment China

This week, we have a special episode that was recorded LIVE in Beijing at an event on July 5th.  Environment China hosted an evening panel discussion on the growing trend of podcasting and podcasters in Beijing.  We were joined by hosts and producers from four relatively new Beijing-produced podcasts, including: Zhang Ya Jun from the Wo Men podcast, John Artman from the China Tech Talk podcast, Brendan Davis from the Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom podcast, and our own Noah Lerner from Environment China.

The evening was moderated by another of our hosts and producers, Kate Logan.  As you'll hear, Kate led an interesting discussion on the origin stories and motivations behind each of the shows, as well as on some technical talk and tips on how each of the guests sets up, records, and produces their show.

“十三五”煤控目标如何实现，“一带一路”建设如何促进绿色发展，是目前中国能源环境问题的两个重要焦点。华北电力大学袁家海教授作为电力经济和电力低碳转型的专家，从电力发展的角度就以上问题开展了深度研究。在这期节目中，袁教授将通过实地调研案例，与我们分享他在 “十三五”电力行业控煤政策研究以及“一带一路”绿色电力合作研究中的发现。如果希望进一步阅读相关研究成果，可以在网络上搜索《持续推进电力改革 提高可再生能源消纳》，下载这份报告。 Our guest this episode is Professor Yuan Jiahai from North China Electric Power University, an expert in electric power development and its low carbon transition. During the past few years, Prof. Yuan has done extensive research on how China's electric power development is meeting coal cap goals. He also travelled to a number of countries to research on China's green electric power cooperation with Belt and Road Initiative countries. He is very excited to share his findings with us.

In today’s episode, we check the millennial box and take a look at blockchain -- and its energy implications. Alarming headlines came out earlier this year charting the rising energy consumption of Bitcoin and tracing the majority of its mining operations back to China. We are joined by Sophie Lu, head of China Research at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, who has written a report on the topic. She describes why Bitcoin mining consumes so much electricity, why it is taking place in China, and what future power consumption might be as demand for Bitcoin rises but its manufacture also becomes more efficient. Sophie also discusses the broader potential environmental benefits of the blockchain technology behind Bitcoin – particularly its use in making supply chains more transparent and facilitating distributed energy grids.

在国际NGO“野生动植物保护国际”负责具体的研究项目几年之后，木兰科植物研究者赵兴峰和灵长类动物研究者宋晴川认为对动植物的保护比起研究更加紧迫。随着中国生态文明建设的不断深入，兴峰和晴川与几个志同道合的朋友共同创立了社会企业“大戟自然”，希望利用自己的科研背景、国际NGO的工作经验以及商业化的模式，为中国大大小小的自然保护地提供管理运营的解决方案。如果希望进一步了解大戟自然，可以关注“大戟自然”的微信公众号。

Our guests for this episode are Song Qingchuan and Zhao Xingfeng, who are both researcher-turned-social entrepreneurs in ecological protection. After working in international NGOs on special research projects for a few years, Song and Zhao decided to make the change and be the change in their ways to protect the ecological environment they are passionate about. By combining their technical expertise and business minds, Song, Zhao and a few like-minded friends established Daji Nature, a social enterprise that offers business solutions to the management of protected areas in China, which they believe is practical and replicable.

What if we could turn smog into diamonds? This seemingly far-fetched idea is actually not so far from reality: a Dutch designer recently installed a tower in one of Beijing's most well-known art districts which does exactly that. While the installation is more art than long-term pollution solution, what if the growing movement of pollution-focused art in China could influence policy and the way that environmental issues are regulated, thus posing scalable impacts?

We sit down with Dr. Kathinka Fürst, assistant adjunct professor of environmental policy at Duke Kunshan University, to discuss her recent research on smog art in China. Dr. Fürst sheds light on how artists are confronting pollution challenges with creativity and innovation, as well as the role that art could potentially play by impacting policy. She also touches on her previous research on environmental civil society in China as a pollution regulator. You can read more about Dr. Fürst's work on her webpage: https://dukekunshan.edu.cn/en/environment/faculty/kathinka-f%C3%BCrst-phd.

在良好的环境中工作、生活，是我们每个人都应当享有的权利。当环境污染侵害到了我们正常工作和生活的权益，我们可以通过法律途径要求污染者停止污染，向他们获取赔偿，维护自己的权益。然而，不具备环境法律权益知识的污染受害弱势群体，是否会被剥夺通过法律维护自身权益的权利？今天做客环境中国播客的嘉宾，中国政法大学王灿发教授，几十年来除了在环境法领域不断深耕，也致力于用自己的知识服务于社会大众，提高公众的环境维权意识，维护污染受害者的环境权益。他于1998年创立了全国第一家免费向污染受害者提供法律帮助的民间环保组织，并于1999年开通了污染受害者法律帮助热线，目前已经帮助700多起污染案件受害者向法院提起诉讼。希望了解更多污染受害者法律帮助中心，可以微信搜索“环境法律帮助”，关注他们的公众号。

We all have a right to work and live in a healthy environment. When pollution impedes this right, legal measures can be taken on behalf of victims. What happens to those who do not know their legal rights? How do victims that are not aware of environmental rights advocate for pollution compensation?

Our guest on Environment China today is Professor Wang Canfa, a veteran environment law expert who is a vehement advocate of spreading legal knowledge to all members of society. In 1998, he established the first grassroots environmental NGO, China Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims, to provide legal help to pollution victims and opened a telephone hotline to serve as many people as possible. So far, he and his organization have successfully helped victims to file over 700 law suits on pollution cases. Professor Wang Canfa is devoted to improving public awareness on environmental rights and dedicated to providing safeguards to victims of pollution. Please visit www.clapv.org to find out more about China Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims.

Meet Joe and Carrie, the couple spreading the zero waste gospel in China. The dynamic duo opened the first zero waste store, “The Bulk House”, in China this year, selling products to help others live the zero waste lifestyle they adhere to. In today’s episode, they walk us through a day in the life of a zero waster - guiding us through everything from how to eat without waste to the world of eco-friendly toothbrushes and toilet paper. They also reflect on their choice to start a business rather than a non-profit in order to have a wider impact. For more information on their shop and movement, search “The Bulk House” on WeChat.

过去几年来越来越多的人讨论或参与生态旅行，但什么才是真正的负责任旅行呢？罗鹏是倡导负责任旅行企业生地行的创始人。过去五年来，她坚持自然教育，认为保护自然在于行动和育人。她为在城市生活的小朋友提供亲近自然、深入动植物保护地的机会，同时还为偏远保护区的少数民族文化保护与传承、农村经济发展等提供了良性循环、多方受益的解决方案。如果想了解更多有关生地行的故事，可以关注微信公众号ecoaction。

Our guest for this episode is LUO Peng, founder of EcoAction, a responsible travel advocate. Peng has shared with us many of her stories of bring young Chinese urban dwellers to protected areas in rural and remote China, not only exposing them to nature and animals, but more importantly planting the seed of eco-education. At the same time, she has engaged and enabled the local children and community to connect with the “outside world” and preserving the local (and often ethnic minority) culture as well as developing the local economy. You can find out more about EcoAction at ecoactionnow.com.

水质问题尤其是农村地区的水质问题一直都是大家关注的焦点，然而这些问题到底是什么，是什么引起的，带来了什么影响，如何去解决是千村千面，各不相同的。任晓媛和她创立的MyH2O水信息平台希望倡导公民科学意识，通过在地大学生、环保社团、返乡青年和当地居民等进行实地调研，了解问题，搭建水质信息平台，为农村对接饮水安全资源，至今已集结各地团队走入近千村庄收集水安全信息。如果希望进一步了解晓媛的水信息平台，可以关注微信公众号MyH2O。

Our guest for this episode is Xiaoyuan “Charlene” Ren, founder of MyH2O - Water Information Network, a platform that collects information on drinking water status in rural areas across China. Charlene believes that citizen science is the way to go, so her team, together with college students, local communities and young people that returned to their hometown, is building a network of water information across close to 1000 villages, with the hope to help increase access to clean and safe water resources in regions that are most in need.