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How Chinese Youth Make Sense of Climate Change in Their Daily Life 中国年轻人怎么了解气候变化 christopher eberhardt 汪哲伟 The New School for Social Research

How Chinese Youth Makes Sense of Climate Change in Their Daily Life

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How Chinese Youth Make Sense ofClimate Change in Their Daily Life中国年轻人怎么了解气候变化

christopher eberhardt汪哲伟

The New School for Social Research

introduction

• This material derives from my dissertation research• This is a work in progress, weak areas exist• Originally wanted to know if Americans and Chinese are working together to

solve climate change• Re-focused on Chinese youth and how they understand climate change,

particularly interested in personal responsibility– At times it becomes necessary to speak of Chinese population more generally

and environmental issues more generally because of limits of my research andthat of others.

outline

• China + politics + environmentalism• environmental education• responsibility• daily action• lessons + suggestions

China + politics + environmentalism

China + politics + environmentalism

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

Mao extols manwho moved themountain.

Do not criticize thegovernment

Led by Zhou Enlai,China joins emerginginternational dialogue,and follows peerpressure,ie. createsenvironmental ministry,creates national parks.

Slowemergence ofdomesticenvironmentalorganizations

Emergence ofinternationalenvironmentalorganizations.

Embeddedactivism.

Government ministryelevated, andintroduction ofenvironmentaleducation.

Greater internationalpeer pressure, andinternationalcooperation in general.

I argue that 1950’s and 1960’s, are particularly important forunderstanding why today in China there are Chinese state anddomestic actors and international actors working on climate changeand other environmental issues.

Safari can’t open the page.Safari can’t open the page “http://www.youtube.com/” because the serverunexpectedly dropped the connection. This sometimes occurs when theserver is busy. Wait for a few minutes, and then try again.i

China + politics + environmentalism

Limits remainto howindividuals candebate issuesin China.

Limits toengagementwith individualsfrom othercountries.

Recent MA thesis argues that Chinese news in English does notmention climate change happening in China, only happening abroad.Her theory is that this is done so as not to raise questions aboutdevelopment policies.

environmental education

environmental education

In 2003 environmentaleducation became anational requirement forprimary and secondaryeducation.

Problem is that material isnot on the tests and parentsthink outdoor trips takesaway from studying for tests.

Also domestic andinternational NGO efforts likeGreen Camp and Roots andShoots.

environmental education

Requiring allChinese tostudy Englishbeginning inmiddleschool opensup newopportunitiesfor dialogue.

Its easier tounderstandwhat’s said atBEER!

environmental education

“Green travel, civilized transit.”

Incorporation ofgreen messageswithin socialpropagandamachine.

Hampered bylimited funds.

As these images try to suggest, messages about protecting theenvironment or saving resources are in similar locations and usesimilar branding as messages about being a good and respectfulBeijing citizen.

environmental education

Networks ofinternational activistsand organizations.

Here we have a show near the 798 art district ofBeijing about coal and climate change organizedby Asia Society and a conference about recyclingand climate change organized by GAIA.

environmental education

A narrative of theweather changing,and learning aboutthis issue through TVand school.

As a researcher, in some ways oneregret is that I did not ask about theInternet or mobile phones. Myresearch consisted of 149 peopleanswering online survey, 20 follow-upinterviews, and the common narrativewas one of the weather gettingwarmer, and learning about this issuethrough school and TV.

responsibility

responsibilityCitizens wantgovernment toprovideservices, butgovernmentless able to.

Chinesecitizensincreasinglyhave to takecare ofeducation,homes, jobs,and medicalthemselves.

Common theme between Western Europe where welfare state is beingchallenged and China where the “iron rice bowl” has been dismantled, thatindividuals still look to the state to provide services, but the state strugglesto do so, greater responsibility is on the individual.

responsibility

Individualizationhas increasedover the lastthirty years butdifficult to seean increase inindividualresponsibility inChina accordingto new research.

Everyone has responsibility forprotecting the environment.

Protecting the environment isresponsibility, caring is virtue.

responsibilityClimate change is to be solvedprimarily by the government, only entityable to reign in factories. Individualscan do their small part, save water, useless electricity, etc. Similar to researchlooking at UK and Canada.

daily action

daily actionEnergyFoundation

Chinese

GovernmentBehind thescenes avariety ofpartnerships,domestic andinternational.

What this simple powerpoint illustration is trying to show is that for many aspects of one’s life, forexample the energy efficient light bulb, there are many partnerships behind the scenes.Universities, foundations, governments, industry groups are all working together.

Then (1960’s,1970’s) Now (2011)

Live the modernand low carbonlifestyle.

daily action

We can see that there has been a shift in how protecting the environment is framed from earlierdecades when Chinese were encouraged to overcome the British economy. The use of thesesingers and actors are parts of efforts for Chinese today to live the low carbon life, often with nomention of the words climate change.

daily action

As part of my research, I asked about 20 different actions based on other research, and I askedwhy people did these activities. As this sample shows, there is some divergence in terms of reason,but generally Habit, protecting the environment and saving money are the main reasons.

daily actionResearch byOgilvy, Zibaand otherdesign firmsis interestingandimportant.

Understandrelationshipbetweendaily life anddreams.

My research in part is based on data by Ogilvy and Mather, and one thing that I hope to explorefurther is the relationship between the life one wants to live and one’s environmental impact.Ogilvy’s research also point out that many Chinese grow up living relatively efficient lives, but thequestion remains, what kind of life when they grow up. To understand this, its crucial to understanddreams, but also peer and reference groups.

Source: Ogilvy

Source: Ogilvy

daily action

In contrast to WesternEurope or US, there areno requests for sendingemaisl to President ofChina, but there isactivism and educationefforts taking place;activism througheducation.

Friends of Nature low carbon families.

China Youth Climate Action Network

lessons + suggestions

lessons + suggestions

Propaganda withcelebrities works. Try toget celebrities to pay forpropaganda.

Here is a propaganda poster I made inPhotoshop of my favorite Chinese actor. Iadded the signatures and the slogan of greentransit. Research shows that Government logosand celebrities help propaganda, but companylogos hurt the efficacy of propaganda.

lessons + suggestions

Framework is there, needthe content.

Explore ways of synergizingbetween groups that canproduce content and thepropaganda machine

One of the favorite things I’ve discoveredin my research is the Green Brothers,including their Green Dating video. Rightnow propaganda is designed to speak toall, but it may speak to no one, in partwhen it is often animated characters likefish and birds. Organizations like GreenBrothers can provide content for cash-strapped propaganda departments thatspeak to specific audiences.

lessons + suggestions

• Try to incorporate environmental educationquestions into high school and college entranceexams.

Try to get students outsideduring class hours more.

lessons + suggestions

Addressing climatechange without evermentioning the word.

As the above chart demonstrates, in theUnited States Republicans increasingly donot believe climate change is alreadyhappening and Democrats do. Efforts likethat of Zipcar offer perhaps an interestingmodel. Founder Robin Chase once openeda lecture by saying that two people in onecar cuts emissions in half, yet Zipcarmarkets itself as “there when you need it,”no need to buy fuel, pay insurance, etc.

Similarly in China, citizens are nowencouraged to live a low carbon life withouteven hearing about climate change.

thank you谢谢

chris eberhardt汪哲伟

[email protected]