Why don't Shanghainese people care about the environment?
For those who come to Shanghai for the first time, what strikes them the most is not only how tall the skyscrapers are, but also how smoggy the skies can be.
With the UN’s 2009 Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen still in the news, it seems almost politically incorrect to not talk about the environment; however, according to QQ.com, environmental issues barely make the daily list of concerns for average Shanghainese person.
What do people care about?
A survey done by China Comment Magazine (半月談) in Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Hebei, Shanxi, Sichuan, Chongqing and Guizhong reveals that the top three issues that people pay the most attention to are: the gap between rich and poor, health care, schooling and housing expenses and (un)employment.
With China’s becoming increasingly “capitalized,” the income inequality has rapidly increased here. Netizen Lei Qincheng summarizes many peoples feelings by saying, “Food price have risen 15 percent this year. It feels like the only thing that isn’t raising is my wage.”
In additional to cost of living concerns, health care, schooling and housing expenses -- the three most expensive costs an average Shanghainese person has to face -- are attracting heated comments online. Netizen Zhui Xun Er Shi de Meng comments, “A trip to the hospital would cost ten years of my life savings and I can't even think about the expensive schooling I will have pay for my child.”
Even with the city’s economic growth, not everybody thinks Shanghai is the land of opportunities. Yu Guoan, a 45-year-old unemployed worker complains online that it's hard to find a new job, while Yang Hua, a recent university graduate says “there are too many [university] graduates and there are not enough jobs.”
Why the planet is not their top concern
Pollution and environmental issues, ranked No. 7 in the China Comment Magazine survey -- not among people’s top priorities. QQ.com put this idea to the test in an online poll asking users: “Have you done anything about the climate change?” 30 percent of the 13,150 people respondents voted for “yes” while 70 percent admitted they hadn’t.
Netizen Shan Guang Dian explains how, even with such a push toward green technology in China, this sentiment can still be true among the average Chinese citizen. “I can’t even afford to buy an apartment or to get married," say Shan Guang Dian. "How can anyone expect me to care about the environment?”
An internet user called Meng Shou says, “With climate change, it takes a hundred years for Maldives to sink, but with all the housing and rent problems I have, I wish I could live long enough to see that.” Yue Zhi Shen from Zhongshan agrees: “I make RMB 770 per month. With this wage, can I afford environmental protection?”
It looks like Shanghai still has a long way to go before people in China’s fastest developing city and the seat of the green-themed 2010 Expo can afford to start thinking about environmental issues.
