Video chat with David Dollar (10)
Updated: 2008-02-25 10:41
CD: Which area do you think is where the most serious or urgent improvement is needed in Chinese cities?
DD: I think right now: air pollution. We did a study together with the State environmental protection agency recently, and we found that the health cost of air pollution is quite serious in China. We can actually put a number on it. The health costs amount to 3.8 percent of GDP. That's basically people dying prematurely, and people being sick more than they should be, respiratory problems. And, you know, I don't think it's a secret. Some cities have much more serious air pollution than others, and their people are bearing a pretty high cost. It's not that hard to clean it up. A lot of it has to do with the kind of fuel. China's made some progress, but it could really set a much higher standard for the cleanliness of the vehicle fuel. And also China has improved its standards for the emissions of new cars that go on the road, but the problem is there are lots of old trucks on the road. You just watch the trucks sitting outside of Beijing waiting to come in at night, and a lot of those are really filthy old trucks belching a lot of pollution. If you're serious about cleaning up the air pollution, you really have to stop the old trucks and tractors coming into the inner city. It has a cost, but it has a benefit in terms of the health of all the people living in these very densely populated cities.