Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Adam Navis.
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And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
In 2004, a news reporter had a special story on Chinese television. The news reporter talked with a six-year-old girl. The reporter’s name was Chai Jing. Chai worked for China Central Television. She was reporting in the village of Xiaoyi in the highly-polluted area of Shanxi. Shanxi has many coal plants, and the air is very dirty. Chai asked the little girl in Xiaoyi:
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Have you ever seen a real star?
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No.
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Have you ever seen blue sky?
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I have seen sky that was a little blue.
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Have you ever seen white clouds?
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No.
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Chai Jing could not forget about this little girl. Ten years later, she made a documentary film about air pollution in China. She called it “Under the Dome.” Chai released her film on Saturday, February 28th, 2015. In three days, people had watched it more than 150 million times. In one week, people had watched it more than 300 million times. Around one fifth of China’s population has seen it! Today’s Spotlight is on the Under the Dome film.
By Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45627907
Voice 1
Less than 10 years after Chai talked with the little girl in Xiaoyi, she had her own baby girl. In fact, having her baby was the main reason she made the film. Chai was worried about her child. Chai lived in Beijing with her daughter. The air there is very polluted. Chai was careful with her daughter. She did not let her daughter play outside her house very often. Chai knew that one day, her little girl would ask her, “Mommy, why did you not let me outside to play?” Chai wanted to have answers for her daughter. She spent her own money making the film. And she took a year researching three questions: One: What is pollution? Two: Where does it come from? And three: What can we do about it.
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In the film, Chai performed an experiment. In her home city of Beijing, she wore a pollution measuring device. She wore the device for 24 hours – one whole day. The device measured the kinds and amounts of pollutant chemicals in the air. Chai wore the device to her normal places, for her normal daily activities. The results of her experiment were shocking. In 24 hours on a normal day, Chai breathed in five times the legal amount of pollutants in China. And China’s legal limits are three times as high as the World Health Organization’s advised limits. Chai is especially concerned about Benzo[a]pyrene. This poisonous chemical causes cancer. On the day of the experiment, Chai breathed in 14 times the legal limit of Benzo[a]pyrene.
Voice 1
China does have laws about pollution. It also has a Ministry of Environmental Protection, or MEP. In 2012, the government created an “Air Pollution Prevention Plan.” Officials began to measure and announce the amounts of pollutants in the air. But Chai’s film shows one of the main problems. No one enforces the laws against pollution.
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In one part of the film, Chai is with MEP officials. They are driving on the road, and they see a truck with a black cloud around it. The cloud is so large Chai thinks something is on fire. But it is just the pollution coming from the truck. So Chai and the MEP officials follow the truck. They want to see where the truck is getting its fuel. Chai and the MEP officials find a public fuel station. They ask the owner if they can test the quality of the gas. The owner refuses. He takes their MEP identification and will not give it back. Chai protests. She tells the owner that the MEP officials have the responsibility and the authority to test the fuel. The owner says,
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“You have the responsibility, but not the authority.”
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This, Chai says, is the problem. Every day, individuals and businesses break environmental laws in China. But no one is punished. One MEP official told her,
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“We do the required steps. There is nothing we can do if the businesses do not stop. This is a kind of helplessness.”
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The film “Under the Dome” was on the internet in China for one week. After that, the Chinese government began to block it on the internet. But it still had influence. After three weeks, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang talked publicly about enforcing pollution laws. He said,
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“Last year I said that the Chinese government would declare a war against environmental pollution. This year we will work to make sure that the new environmental protection laws are enforced.”
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Chai Jing’s film had a particular goal. The film asks the government to force factories and businesses to announce their pollution levels. These pollution levels should be public information. She also tells people to report broken rules to the MEP.
Voice 1
In one part of the film, Chai gives an example of this. The building where she lives has a food restaurant. Every day, cooking smoke comes out of the restaurant. Chai thought this was normal. But then she discovered that there is a rule about cooking smoke. All restaurants should have smoke filters to block their pollution. So she called the MEP. Very shortly, the MEP put a smoke filter in the restaurant. After that, the smoke problem was solved. Chai said,
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“When the pollution was bad, I did not know where I would be tomorrow, or where I would be in the future. But when the restaurant owner put in the smoke filter, I felt like my feet had landed on solid ground.”
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Chai Jing was happy when she saw the restaurant owner using the smoke filter. She knew that the difference to Beijing’s air pollution was very small. But she said,
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“One person knows that because they did one small thing, the situation improved a little bit. So when you look back at the war between people and pollution, you see this is how history is made. It is tens of millions of ordinary people. One day they say ‘No. I am not satisfied. I do not want to wait. I will stand up and do something. I will do it right now. At this time, at this place. I am going to do it.’”
Voice 1
The writer of this program was Jen Hawkins. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at www.radioenglish.net. This program is called, “A Film about Pollution”.
Voice 2
We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.
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Question:
Is pollution a problem in your community? What kinds of pollution are the most harmful there? What can people do about the problem of pollution?
I live in Vietnam and i think the problem my community is very bad. I also see Sơn rubbish on the crossing and the taste is very stinky. But i think people can change when thay change the awareness and we need propaganda them. I think they will understand and change.
Pollution is a great problem in Brazil. Unfortunately, we have bad leaders to lead this situation, after all the Brazil has many natural resources. The government have not been influencing people about environmental education. It is so sad.
1-Yes
2- I believe that lettering
3- increase people is awareness about ways example in schools ,TV and reminders continue punishment to doer
Of course not just in my community but in over the world unfortunately
Yes, my community suffers from pollution and pollution from auto gas and petrol station, now my country is experimenting with a little pollution, seting the rules.
– Yes
– the air , water and soil pollution
– actually people can make difference about all kinds of pollutions for example when we put our waste in the trash or use a smoke filter on the general places …etc .
Yes …the most of countries have this problem
The most kind pollution is the smoke manufacturers and the sea pollution
The people can do more ..the reason of pollution is them ..so the solution in hands of them …..little use of some
Put limited or solution for manufacturers..etc
yas, the kind of pollution in my country is throwing rubbish in the ground.
-the situation for this problem is : doing a lot of documentry movies for citizens and the govermant put the strict laws .
No, it’s not and I’m thankful for that.
The people can prevent pollution by stopping the causes of it but if they can’t then the government should put some strict rules that could minimize the danger of pollution.
Pollution is the big problem of the earth. The earth has been hurted by the human. Let’s improve the environment together right now.
Thank you for all broadcasting ilove this wobsat from yamen
More and more has many factories and it leads to having many vehicles. If we live in the countryside, maybe we only see a few vehicles. In contrast, in the city like Sai Gon, Ha Noi, … there are many vehicles such as scooters, cars, trucks,… I think waste from vehicles that the reason make air pollution. Besides, the tree in the big city is few.
The lack of environmental awareness among Vietnamese citizens, particularly in public places, I believe is a contributing factor to environmental pollution. When I see someone throwing garbage on the street indiscriminately, I thinhk it will have a negative impact on children if they emulate the behavior. I believe that the goverment should establish strict punishment guidelines for these individuals
The Environment is the most important resource for life. We get water, power and Oxygen from the Environment. It helps to clear pollution and is a large habitat for animals. Earth is getting polluted by poisonous gases and fumes made by cars and factories. A clean environment is essential for healthy living. Air pollution can cause respiratory diseases and cancer, among other problems and diseases. Water pollution can lead to typhoid, diarrheal diseases, and other water-related diseases. Therefore we should keep our environment clean and protected.
the pollution problem is always the most and very important for each country. when I heard about china with problem pollution serious, I don’t like improving the economy that created pollution and lack of responsibility. I think pollution source water need engage for government and people must to do something to protect it
Of course, pollution is the global problem that until now we still can’t find out efficient methods to deal with. And in my opinion, the best method is our awareness, it means people all over the world should be aware of the negative influence of pollution and then we will carrry out solutions like using public transport, planting trees, reducing the industrial activities, and so on.
Yes, pollution is a big problem in all countries these days especially in countries with weak governments
The pollution is a great problem at the world. All industries and people, most get involved to do something and do it now.
maybe not , The most harmful type of pollution is factory smoke, People can reduce restaurant smoke and charcoal from charcoal shawarma, and the factories exist in known regions in saudi and We have Vision 2030, which is to increase afforestation and reduce pollution
This is very goud …tinks
Yes in our community is a problem with pullution because the amount of trash that people produce is huge.
Home garbish and gas.
Recycle and reuse organic trash.
I really appreciate for this film (under the Dome)we have to announce if we see anyone breaking the rules about environmental.
Pollution is found in most partes in the world and its worldly problem that we need to solve firstly by applying the rule and punish whoever broke this rules
Yes, i have problem in my community
reduce from use of cars and bases .
In my opinion, the biggest pollution in the world is putting things on the street where they belong, and if you don’t clean up yourself it will be a big problem for society. the people can do dont putting a things in the street and be cleaning up .
The most pollution problem in my cuntry is desertification but the government put a programs to combat this problem by afforestation
the pollution is a common problem in my country, Ithink that the industrial activities is the biggest contribution into pollution,we can stop it by applying the rules to punish the establishments that causes it.
I live in Italy and pollution is a problem, the quality of air is dreadful. Europe want to solve part of problem with elettric cars which will be mandatory starting from 2035. An other issue is certainly the rubbish as well, the government has encouraged the waste sorting but it isn’t enough. we must consume less.
Good Bay?
Pollution is a problem everywhere.in my country , there are always rubbish in the street, so I think people shoud not use plastic
There is a mainly reason to in forced the laws against the pollution is our generation health . In Iraq the attitude is incredible and so hard.