China is infamous for its air quality problems, with pictures in global news outlets of record-breaking smog in cities like Beijing and people venturing outside in face masks.  The public outcry there is part of the reason that China has embraced climate change policies that reduce emissions from coal-fired power plants, which are a major source of the pollution.

But the human impact of this pollution problem is easy to overlook for those of us who don’t know or talk to people in China.  In co-teaching a climate change class this spring at Berkeley Law with some law students from China, for example, I was surprised to learn that many Chinese families spend hundreds of dollars on air filters for their apartment windows.  Wouldn’t that money be better spent collectively instead, on slightly higher electricity rates from cleaner electricity sources?  Yet in a country with one-party rule, they simply don’t have the option to protest at the ballot box.  And when there are elections, voters are denied real choices.

Still, the government is getting the message, which is why they’ve been working with environmental attorneys from around the world to devise policies to reduce pollution.  And it’s probably a big factor in the government’s decision to sign the Paris climate accords and an earlier bilateral agreement with the U.S.

But we shouldn’t overlook the personal nature of the air quality and public health challenge there.  To that end, I found this documentary clip from Jing Chai called “Under the Dome” (Part 1) to be eye-opening and disturbing, from the perspective of a young mother looking out for her child’s health:

You can keep watching for further posted clips from the documentary. Let’s hope China will follow the success story of places like Los Angeles, which still suffers from smog but at a greatly reduced rate, and find cleaner skies soon.