http://www.wikileaks.org/cable/2006/08/06GUANGZHOU27482.html
06GUANGZHOU27482 2006-08-16 07:09 2011-08-26 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Consulate Guangzhou
VZCZCXYZ0015
RR RUEHWEB
DE RUEHGZA #7482 2280709
ZNR UUUUU ZZH ZUI RUEWMCF5508 2281237
R 160709Z AUG 06
FM AMCONSUL GUANGZHOU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0000
INFO CHINA POSTS COLLECTIVE
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/DIA WASHDC
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
UNCLAS GUANGZHOU 027482
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EAP/CM
STATE FOR EB/TPP FELSING, MASSINGA
USDOC FOR 4420/ITA/MAC/MCQUEEN, DAS LEVINE
STATE PASS USTR - STRATFORD, CELICO
USPACOM FOR FPA
STATE FOR OES/OGC, OES/ENV AND OES/PCI/STEWART
DOE FOR INTERNATIONAL/PUMPHREY
DOE ALSO FOR EERE/DIXON
USDOC FOR NOAA/OFFICE OF GLOBAL PROGRAMS/BUIZER,
EPA FOR OFFICE OF AIR AND RADIATION/MCLEAN
EPA ALSO FOR INTERNATIONAL/THOMPSON
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV TBIO CH SOCI PGOV
SUBJECT: WAITING TO INHALE: THE STATE OF AIR POLLUTION IN
SOUTH CHINA (PART ONE OF TWO)
(U) THIS DOCUMENT IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. PLEASE
PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. NOT FOR RELEASE OUTSIDE U.S.
GOVERNMENT CHANNELS. NOT FOR INTERNET PUBLICATION.
REF: 05 GUANGZHOU 031999
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: AIR POLLUTION IN CHINA HAS GROWN SO BAD
THAT CHINESE OFFICIALS ARE ACKNOWLEDGING THE CHALLENGE IT
PRESENTS, AND VARIOUS FOREIGN SCHOLARS ARE OFFERING ALARMING
STATISTICS ABOUT THE FINANCIAL AND HEALTH COSTS IT BRINGS.
IN SOUTH CHINA, FACTORIES AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT
SUPPORTS THEM GENERATE CONSIDERABLE AIR POLLUTION. IN
ADDITION, THE REGION CONSUMES VAST AMOUNTS OF "DIRTY" COAL
FOR ENERGY, RARELY IMPLEMENTS EMISSION-CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES,
AND IS HOME TO A GROWING NUMBER OF VEHICLES. NOW THAT MANY
OF THE POLLUTANTS THAT MAKE UP THE REGION'S HAZE ARE
BEGINNING TO BE SCIENTIFICALLY MEASURED, THE FINDINGS ARE
ALARMING. HOWEVER, FINE PARTICLE (PM2.5) POLLUTION -- WHICH
IS DEEMED TO BE OF HIGHEST CONCERN FOR PUBLIC HEALTH -- IS
NOT MEASURED. THOSE LOBBYING FOR ITS INCLUSION IN AN INDEX
OF POLLUTANTS CONCEDE THAT INCLUDING A POLLUTANT WHOSE
CURRENT LEVELS WOULD MEASURE SO FAR ABOVE ACCEPTABLE
STANDARDS WOULD BE POLITICALLY DIFFICULT. IT MAY BE TOUGH
FOR LOCAL OFFICIALS, LONG HERALDED FOR THEIR ECONOMIC
ACHIEVEMENTS, TO EXPAND THEIR FOCUS TO INCLUDE ENVIRONMENTAL
CONCERNS WHEN IT CONFLICTS WITH THE NEED FOR ECONOMIC
GROWTH. END SUMMARY.
¶2. (SBU) ANYONE WHO HAS SPENT TIME IN SOUTH CHINA IS ALL TOO
FAMILIAR WITH THE BROWN HAZE THAT FREQUENTLY OBSCURES THE
PEARL RIVER DELTA (PRD) REGION. ECONOFF AND VISITING
EMBASSY SCIENCE FELLOW -- WHO IS WITH THE U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AGENCY'S (EPA) OFFICE OF AIR QUALITY PLANNING AND
STANDARDS -- IN A TWO-PART SERIES OF CABLES LOOK AT THE
CURRENT STATE OF AIR POLLUTION IN SOUTH CHINA (PART I), AND
EVALUATE SOME OF THE MEASURES BEING TAKEN BY LOCAL ENTITIES
TO COMBAT THE PROBLEM (PART II).
CHINA: A NATION OF POLLUTERS PAYING THE PRICE
--------------------------------------------- -
¶3. (SBU) CHINA IS GROWING INCREASINGLY INFAMOUS AROUND THE
WORLD FOR ITS HIGH LEVELS OF POLLUTION. POLLUTION HAS
BECOME SUCH A LARGE PROBLEM THAT CHINESE OFFICIALS ARE NOW
ACKNOWLEDGING THE CHALLENGE IT PRESENTS; PREMIER WEN JIABAO
SURPRISED MANY EARLY THIS YEAR WHEN HE ADMITTED THAT
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION HAS BECOME THE WEAKEST ASPECT IN
CHINA'S SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. THE DEPUTY CHIEF
OF THE STATE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (SEPA) SAID
PUBLICLY THAT DAMAGE TO CHINA'S ENVIRONMENT IS COSTING THE
GOVERNMENT APPROXIMATELY 10% OF CHINA'S GDP (APPROXIMATELY
USD 200 BILLION). A HARVARD SCHOLAR PREDICTED THAT BY 2030,
15% OF CHINA'S GDP WILL BE LOST TO THE INCREASED HEALTH
COSTS AND MORTALITY DUE TO DOMESTIC ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION.
A YALE SCHOLAR ESTIMATED THAT MORE THAN HALF OF CHINA'S
ANNUAL GDP GROWTH WOULD BE ELIMINATED IF THE FULL COSTS OF
ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION WERE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT.
ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO AIR POLLUTION
-----------------------------------------
¶4. (SBU) CHINA IS HOME TO SEVEN OF THE TEN MOST AIR-POLLUTED
CITIES IN THE WORLD. A WORLD BANK REPORT NOTED THAT CHINAS
HEAVY INDUSTRY AND RESIDENTIAL COAL BURNING -- WHICH
PROVIDES ROUGHLY 70% OF CHINA'S ENERGY -- TOGETHER WITH
INADEQUATE POLLUTION CONTROLS, RAMPANT DEFORESTATION, AND A
SHARP INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF MOTOR VEHICLES ARE ALL
FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO AIR POLLUTION. WANG JINNAN, THE
CHIEF ENGINEER AT THE CHINESE ACADEMY ON ENVIRONMENTAL
PLANNING, PART OF THE STATE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
ADMINISTRATION (SEPA), SAID THAT ONE-THIRD OF CHINA'S URBAN
DWELLERS CURRENTLY LIVE IN CITIES WITH LEVEL TWO OR HIGHER
POLLUTION, WITH LEVEL TWO BEING CONSIDERED HARMFUL TO
HEALTH, AND LEVEL THREE CONSIDERED "VERY DANGEROUS."
¶5. (SBU) THE VICE MINISTER OF SEPA, ZHANG LIJUN, SAID AT A
2005 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE THAT WORSENING AIR QUALITY,
ESPECIALLY IN MAJOR CITIES, WAS LEADING TO "MORE AND MORE
SERIOUS" HEALTH PROBLEMS. HE ADDED THAT THE LEVEL OF AIR
POLLUTION EMISSIONS IN CHINA MAY INCREASE 4-5 TIMES IN THE
NEXT 15 YEARS UNDER A BUSINESS-AS-USUAL SCENARIO. ZHEJIANG
UNIVERSITY'S PROFESSOR CEN KEFA -- A HIGHLY-RESPECTED MEMBER
OF THE CHINESE ACADEMY OF ENGINEERING WHO COLLABORATES
CLOSELY WITH U.S. EPA SCIENTISTS -- SAID PUBLICLY IN MARCH
2006 AT AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE THAT CHINA'S CO2
EMISSIONS IN 2001 WERE THE SECOND HIGHEST IN THE WORLD AFTER
THE UNITED STATES, AND ITS SO2 EMISSIONS WERE LIKELY THE
HIGHEST.
AND IN SOUTH CHINA AS WELL
--------------------------
¶6. (SBU) IN THE PRD, INDUSTRIALIZATION, COMMERCIAL
DEVELOPMENT, A RAPIDLY GROWING POPULATION, AND AN INCREASE
IN MOTOR VEHICLES HAVE ALL LED TO SMOGGY AIR AND REDUCED
VISIBILITY THROUGHOUT THE REGION. THE PRD IS OFTEN REFERRED
TO AS THE WORLDS FACTORY FLOOR, AND WHILE THE REGIONS
MANUFACTURING INDUSTRIES HAVE CREATED AN ECONOMIC BOON FOR
THE REGION, THESE FACTORIES -- AND THE POWER AND TRANSPORT
INFRASTRUCTURES THAT SUPPORT THEM -- TYPICALLY USE
INADEQUATE OR NO POLLUTION CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES AND THUS
GENERATE CONSIDERABLE AIR POLLUTION. A MARCH 2006 STUDY
PUBLISHED ON ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ONLINE
NEWS REPORTED THAT THE REASON EXPORT GOODS MANUFACTURED IN
THE PRD ARE SO CHEAP -- AND HENCE SO DESIRABLE -- IS BECAUSE
THE REGION LACKS POLLUTION CONTROLS. THE PIECE ESTIMATED
THAT A "SIGNIFICANT PERCENTAGE" OF SO2, NOX, AND PARTICULATE
MATTER (PM) IN THE AIR CAN BE DIRECTLY ATTRIBUTED TO THE
PRODUCTION OF EXPORTS.
¶7. (SBU) THE GUANGDONG METEOROLOGICAL BUREAU'S DEPUTY
DIRECTOR SAID PUBLICLY THAT THE POOR AIR QUALITY IN
GUANGZHOU WAS ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE SO2 AND NOX DISCHARGED BY
POWER PLANTS AND EMITTED FROM AUTOMOBILES. (NOTE: BECAUSE
OF VARYING ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS, CARS DESIGNED AND
MANUFACTURED IN CHINA EMIT MUCH HIGHER CO, NITROGEN OXIDE,
AND HYDROCARBONS THAN U.S. AND JAPANESE MODELS, ACCORDING TO
A GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY-PUBLISHED STUDY, THOUGH CHINA HAS
ADOPTED EURO3 EMISSION STANDARDS FOR NEW VEHICLES. END
NOTE.) THE CONCENTRATION OF SO2 IN GUANGDONG'S ATMOSPHERE,
FOR EXAMPLE, HAS GROWN BY AN AVERAGE ANNUAL RATE OF 7.8% FOR
THE PAST FIVE YEARS, ACCORDING TO HONG KONG PRESS REPORTS,
EVEN THOUGH THE REST OF CHINA, ON AVERAGE, HAS EITHER
DECREASED OR SEEN A LEVELING OF SO2 EMISSIONS. A U.S.
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY/ARGONNE NATIONAL LAB STUDY, HOWEVER,
REPORTED THAT NATIONAL LEVELS HAVE STARTED TO INCREASE AGAIN
OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS.
GUANGDONG: A TOP CONSUMER OF DIRTY COAL
----------------------------------------
¶8. (SBU) GUANGDONG'S ENERGY CONSUMPTION IS BY FAR HIGHER
THAN ANY OTHER PROVINCE IN CHINA. MOST OF THIS ENERGY IS
CREATED BY BURNING COAL (43% IN 2003, ACCORDING TO A RECENT
STUDY BY A HONG KONG THINK TANK), WHICH GENERALLY GIVES OFF
MORE POLLUTING EMISSIONS THAN EITHER GAS OR OIL. COAL IS
LIKELY TO REMAIN THE MOST IMPORTANT ENERGY SOURCE FOR THE
FORESEEABLE FUTURE. GUANGDONG'S POOR AIR QUALITY IS
EXPECTED TO FURTHER DETERIORATE BECAUSE THE PROVINCE HAS
STARTED TO USE COAL OF INFERIOR QUALITY (I.E. WITH A HIGHER
SULPHUR CONTENT) TO RUN POWER PLANTS AND INDUSTRIAL BOILERS
DUE TO SHORTAGES OF LOW-SULPHUR COAL. ACCORDING TO POWER
INDUSTRY SOURCES, ONE-THIRD OF GUANGDONG'S POWER GENERATION
IS SMALL-SCALE, OUTDATED, AND HIGHLY POLLUTING, BUT STILL
USED BECAUSE OF ENERGY SHORTAGES IN THE RAPIDLY-GROWING
REGION, NOT TO MENTION MANY OTHER SMALLER UNCONTROLLED
INDUSTRIAL BOILERS. ONLY 12% OF GUANGDONG'S COAL PLANTS
HAVE EMISSION-CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES SUCH AS FLUE-GAS
DESULPHURIZATION, AND EVEN THOSE PLANTS SOMETIMES KEEP THE
EQUIPMENT OFFLINE TO CUT COSTS, ACCORDING TO THE HONG KONG
PEOPLE'S COUNCIL ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AS REPORTED IN
AN ENGLISH-LANGUAGE NEWS MAGAZINE. FURTHERMORE, THE CHRONIC
POWER SHORTAGES AFFECTING THE REGION MEAN THAT UP TO 90% OF
MANUFACTURING PLANTS IN THE REGION USE BACKUP ELECTRICITY
GENERATORS, WHICH ARE USUALLY LESS EFFICIENT AND MORE
POLLUTING THAN GRID POWER.
HAZY SKIES -- MEASURING THE TOXIC COCKTAIL OF POLLUTANTS
--------------------------------------------- -----------
¶9. (SBU) IN THE PRD, THE NUMBER OF LOW-VISIBILITY DAYS
CAUSED BY HAZE HAS RISEN IN RECENT YEARS; GUANGZHOU, FOR
EXAMPLE, HAS MORE THAN 150 GRAY-HAZE DAYS WITH LIMITED
VISIBILITY EACH YEAR, UP FROM 90 DAYS PER YEAR IN 1999.
COMMENDABLY, THE REGION NOW HAS AN INDEX TO MEASURE THIS
POLLUTION, AS GUANGDONG PROVINCE AND HONG KONG AUTHORITIES
JOINTLY LAUNCHED A GROUNDBREAKING PRD REGIONAL AIR QUALITY
INDEX (RAQI) IN LATE 2005 (SEE REFTEL OR THE RAQI WEBSITE AT
WWW.GDEPB.GOV.CN AND WWW.EPD.GOV.HK FOR MORE INFORMATION) TO
MEASURE THE FOUR MAJOR REGIONAL AIR POLLUTANTS. THE FOUR
POLLUTANTS WHICH CONTRIBUTE TO THE VISIBILITY DEGRADATION
(AS WELL AS A HOST OF HEALTH PROBLEMS) AND ARE REPORTED IN
THE RAQI ARE: RESPIRABLE SUSPENDED PARTICULATES (PM10),
SULPHUR DIOXIDE (SO2), NITROGEN DIOXIDE (NO2), AND OZONE
(O3). MR. ZHONG LIUJI, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF GUANGDONG
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING CENTER (GDEMC), SAID PUBLICLY AT A
2006 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE THAT THE PROJECTED PRD AIR
QUALITY BETWEEN 1997-2010 IS EXPECTED TO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT
INCREASE IN THE EMISSIONS OF TWO OF THESE POLLUTANTS -- SO2
(BY 40%), AND PM10 (BY 55%) UNDER A BUSINESS-AS-USUAL
SCENARIO.
¶10. (SBU) ONE OF THE MOST HARMFUL ASPECTS OF SOUTH CHINA'S
AIR POLLUTION IS THAT IT CONTAINS VERY HIGH LEVELS OF
RESPIRABLE SUSPENDED PARTICULATES, A COMPLEX MIXTURE OF VERY
SMALL SOLIDS AND LIQUID DROPLETS ALSO KNOW AS PARTICULATE
MATTER, OR PM. PM IS TYPICALLY DIVIDED INTO TWO CATEGORIES
BASED ON THE SIZE OF THE PARTICLES -- PM10, WHICH MEASURES
10 UM, AND PM2.5 WHICH MEASURES 2.5 UM. PM10, WHICH
ACCUMULATES IN THE LUNGS, CONTRIBUTES TO DAMAGED LUNG TISSUE
AND DECREASED LUNG FUNCTION, AS WELL AS AGGRAVATED ASTHMA.
PM2.5, WHICH IS MORE DANGEROUS TO HEALTH THAN PM10 BECAUSE
THE PARTICLES ARE SMALLER AND CAN ENTER MORE DEEPLY INTO THE
LUNGS, CONTRIBUTES TO ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS, INCREASES
THE FREQUENCY OF CHILDHOOD ILLNESSES SUCH AS CHRONIC
BRONCHITIS, CAUSES PREMATURE DEATH DUE TO ITS TOXICITY AND
CARCINOGENS, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY ALSO CAUSES CARDIOVASCULAR
ILLNESSES SUCH AS HEART ATTACKS AND HEART BEAT
IRREGULARITIES, ACCORDING TO A NUMBER OF RECENT STUDIES BY
HARVARD AND OTHER RESEARCH INSTITUTES. PM2.5 IS ALSO THE
PRIMARY CULPRIT FOR VISIBILITY DEGRADATION BECAUSE IT
SCATTERS AND ABSORBS SUNLIGHT.
¶11. (SBU) IN 2002, THE EPA ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR FOR AIR
SAID THAT "FINE PARTICLE (PM2.5) IS THE MOST SERIOUS
POLLUTANT OF CONCERN FOR PUBLIC HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT."
IN OCTOBER 2005, THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) ISSUED
UPDATED GUIDELINES TO INCLUDE PM2.5 AS A KEY POLLUTANT AND
LISTED SUGGESTED ANNUAL AND DAILY AVERAGE PM2.5 LEVELS
TOGETHER WITH INTERIM TARGETS. IN GENERAL, THE PM2.5 LEVELS
IN GUANGDONG ARE TYPICALLY 5-10 TIMES HIGHER THAN THE
SUGGESTED WHO GUIDELINE LEVELS, AND 2-3 TIMES HIGHER THAN
EVEN THE FIRST-TIER INTERIM WHO TARGETS. THE RAQI, HOWEVER,
DOES NOT EVEN MONITOR (AND THUS DOES NOT INCLUDE) PM2.5 IN
THE LIST OF POLLUTANTS. HONG KONG OFFICIALS HAVE PUBLICLY
ACKNOWLEDGED THE IMPORTANCE OF MONITORING PM2.5 IN THE
INDEX, BUT THEY CONCEDE THAT INCLUDING A POLLUTANT WHOSE
CURRENT LEVELS ARE SO FAR ABOVE ACCEPTABLE STANDARDS -- A
SITUATION THAT IS NOT LIKELY TO IMPROVE ANY TIME SOON --
WOULD BE POLITICALLY DIFFICULT. CHINA CURRENTLY HAS NO
PM2.5 STANDARD. HOWEVER, ZHONG LIUJI, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF
THE GUANGDONG ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING CENTER (EMC) TOLD
CONGENOFFS THAT IF HONG KONG ADOPTS PM2.5 STANDARDS,
GUANGDONG WILL VERY LIKELY FOLLOW SUIT.
COMMENT: DIRTY AIR -- THE PRICE OF
BREAKNECK ECONOMIC GROWTH?
-----------------------------------
¶12. (SBU) AIR POLLUTION IN SOUTH CHINA IS BAD AND GETTING
WORSE, MIRRORING CONDITIONS IN MANY OTHER REGIONS IN CHINA.
IT IS A SAD IRONY THAT THIS REGION OF CHINA -- SEEN AS A
BEACON FOR POOR MIGRANTS WHO WANT TO FIND FAME AND FORTUNE -
- HAS ACTUALLY BECOME HARMFUL TO THOSE MIGRANTS' AND OTHERS'
HEALTH. OFFICIALS WILL HAVE TO DETERMINE HOW HIGH A PRICE
IN TERMS OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH THEY ARE WILLING TO
PAY TO SUSTAIN THE REGION'S REMARKABLE GROWTH. THUS FAR,
THEY HAVE SHOWN THAT ECONOMIC GROWTH TAKES PRIORITY, BUT
THIS MAY BE CHANGING. FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE 11TH FIVE-YEAR
PLAN, CHINA COMBINED "ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION" AND
"ECONOMIC GROWTH" AS BINDING INDICATORS TO EVALUATE THE
PERFORMANCE OF PROVINCIAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. OFFICIALS
ARE NOW TOUTING THEIR PLANS TO IMPROVE THE SITUATION DURING
THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. WHAT IS CERTAIN IS THAT WHILE SOUTH
CHINA'S GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT IS WIDELY ADMIRED THROUGHOUT
THE COUNTRY, THE AIR POLLUTION THE REGION NOW EXPERIENCES IS
MANIFESTLY UNENVIABLE.
MARTIN
爆料網站「維基解密」披露數年前美國駐廣州領事館的外交機密電文內容，指出廣東的空氣和食水污染程度十分嚴重，空氣中懸浮粒子PM2.5的數值更高出世衛標準五至十倍，但中國並沒有將PM2.5列入檢測範圍。
PM2.5懸浮粒子可以進入肺部，引致心臟病、急性呼吸系統疾病、兒童疾病和早死等，情況令人擔憂，但當地科學家受到政府壓力而不敢公開。
有關外交機密電文由美國駐廣州領事館於二ＯＯ六年九月十九日寫給國務院，指根據廣東科學家的測量，發現PM2.5懸浮粒子的數值超出世衛標準五至十倍，但中國並沒有將PM2.5列入檢測範圍，情況令人憂慮。
外交電文指由於測量結果對中國當局太敏感，因此當地不會進行測量及公開報告內容。
電文指PM2.5懸浮粒子會影響建康，科學家則受到政府的壓力，擔心科研經費被削減而不敢發表。
由於上述電文是在二ＯＯ六年發表，但現時環保專家指中國已在測量、公開和減少空氣污染方面作出重大改善，但對有關問題的關注則持續至今。
另外，雖然中國有關部門一直強珠江水質沒有問題，可以飲用，但「維基解密」透露，美國駐廣州領事館在前年一月致函國務院的外交機密電文，披露珠三角水質比過往變差很多。
