1. What person, group or organization is being profiled, and why are they of interest to this project?
Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau (Beijing EPB) 北京环境保护局 is a department controlled under the People’s Government of Beijing. It consists of 23 divisions such as administration office, environmental monitoring division, atmospheric environment management division, among others. Furthermore, 13 universities and institutions are listed as the subordinates of the EPB including Beijing Municipal Research Institute of Environmental Protection, Beijing Municipal Emergency and Accident Research Center, etc. Thus, Beijing EPB plays a significant role in environmental protection not just in Beijing, but also all over China.
2.What have they done—through research, or public health program or education forum, for example—that illustrates how they have worked to improve air pollution governance and environmental public health?
Beijing EPB has done the following to improve environmental public health:
Implementing relevant national laws, regulations, rules and policies on environmental protection; drawing up drafts of relevant local laws and governmental regulations in Beijing.
The overall coordination, supervision and management of the key environmental issues in Beijing as well as providing key ideas and solutions to environmental incidents.
Undertaking the obligations of regulating pollution reduction targets as well as supervising the pollutant emission in Beijing.
Participating in formulation of the grand-plans and the programs of economical and social development and being responsible for the analysis of different environmental situations.
Providing source prevention and taking control of the environmental pollution or damages in Beijing.
Coordinating the ecological conservation and evaluating the eco-environment in Beijing.
The supervision and management of the radio-active plants in Beijing.
Managing the environmental monitoring and information disclosure in Beijing.
Contacting science and technology work of the environmental; exchanging updated information on environmental protection with the rest of the world.
Guiding the environmental education in Beijing.
Undertaking other assignments from the municipal government.
3.What timeline of events illustrates how this way of addressing environmental public health has developed?
In 2005, Beijing EPB signed the ‘Memorandum of Understanding on Environment Cooperation’ with the California Environmental Protection Agency to renew and strengthen the cooperation relationship on sciences, technologies and policies in the field of environmental protection between two agencies.
On Jun. 6th 2014, CTO of the California Air Resources Board (carb) attended the meeting with Beijing EPB to discuss the potential air quality issues and solutions in the future.
On Sept. 22nd 2014, ‘World Car Free Day’, Beijing EPB organized the ‘Clean Air Bike Riding (清洁空气创意骑行)’. Over a thousand Beijing citizens participated in this event to show their responsibility towards improving the air quality in Beijing.
In August 2015, the Municipal Finance Bureau(财政局) and the Beijing EPB issued the ‘Beijing's air pollution control technology incentive fund management approach (北京市大气污染防治技术改造项目奖励资金管理办法)’ to encourage enterprises to adopt advanced pollution control technology. In addition, a support of up to 20 million RMB is provided to a single environmental technology project.
Through August 3rd to 7th 2015, Beijing EPB organized the ‘Month of Atmosphere （大气执法月）’ selective examination. 120 violations out of 1481 factories are all placed on file.
4.Does this person, group or organization claim to have a new or unique way of addressing environmental public health? Does this approach point to or suggest problems with other approaches?
Beijing EPB developed an ‘Online Office (网上办事处）’ in order to let small business and individuals to get the license (许可证) on pollutant emission efficiently and conveniently.
People can find out whether their automobile exceed the emission limitation through Beijing EPB official website
5.What data have they collected or use to support their approach to environmental public health? What visualization of this data hasbeen created?
In 2008, Beijing EPB published ‘Beijing EPB data monitoring and management system (北京市环保局监测数据管理系统的研究与开发)’ (Liu 2008). The paper describes the research and development of the data management system, including system design, data structure design and system functions of Beijing EPB. This system not only can analyze the effects of a variety of environmental conditions on environmental quality, but also can assess the overall environmental situation through evaluating the details of the pollution point source.
Beijing EPB gathers and publishes the concentrations of PM 2.5 in Beijing and contiguous area on the official website everyday.
Beijing EPB publishes report on air quality monthly to state the average concentration of pollutants such as PM 2.5, PM 10, SO2 and NO2.
Beijing EPA posted the ‘Air Quality Index (AQI)’ everyday to communicate to the public how polluted the air is.
6.What research has the organization produce or drawn on in their initiatives—in the last year, and over the last decade?
Beijing EPB does not involve much in research, but mainly promulgates regulations and policies with the Chinese government.
7.What kinds of technology and infrastructure do they rely on in the production of environmental health care?
Beijing EPB uses specialized equipment and analytical methods monitor air pollutant concentrations.
Air Dispersion Model that combines topographic, emissions and meteorological data is used by Beijing EPB to predict air pollutant concentrations and to interpret air monitoring data. In addition, given the multiple types and increasing volumes and importance of monitoring data, software E-MDMS is known to be used by Beijing EPB.
8.What events or data seem to have motivated their ways of thinking about and engaging environmental health?
After the foundation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, as the capital of China, Beijing has experienced a great development in industry, which causes severe and unexpected environmental pollution. To protect human health for citizens in Beijing, the Chinese government established the Beijing EPB to monitor and control the environment in Beijing.
9.What social ecology does this person, group or organization work within, and how did it shaped their way of conceiving and engaging asthma?
Since Beijing EPB is a government-run agency, it maintains its appearance on local newspaper and TV channels time to time. In addition, Beijing EPB cooperates with other Bureaus and NGOs to hold environment protection educational events at least twice a year, take for instance, the bike-riding event mentioned previously. Beijing EPB holds lectures on not only asthma but also all other air pollution related diseases every month either online or in universities.
10.What funding enables their work and possibly shapes their way of thinking about environmental health?
Beijing EPB is required to provide annual report on the research progress in order to obtain funding from the Chinese government annually. The funding is named National Natural Science Funding (国家自然科学基金）, which has mainly served as a support for scientific research including environmental related experiments. However, EPB is mainly funded from the Beijing Financial Bureau.
11.What in the history of this person, group or organization likely shaped the way they conceived or and engage environmental health?
Beijing EPB is set up by Chinese government to regulate and monitor the environment condition in Beijing. It is entirely driven and shaped by government regulations and the will of Beijing citizens.
12.What does this person, group or organization seem to find methodologically challenging or concerning in dealing with environmental health?
Beijing EPB is a government owned agency, thus, it is solely controlled by the government. However, the power of the government is limited and due to the imperfection of the environmental protection related law system in China, most regulations promulgated by Beijing EPB are not entirely complied by the local factories and business. Moreover, the standard limitation of pollutant emission is relatively low in China compared to other developed countries, therefore, the overall air quality in Beijing is still not sound enough.
13.What kinds of governance are called for in the way they think about environmental health?
Citizens in Beijing should pay more attention to the environment issues nowadays and give more support to the agencies and government on environment recovery. Law enforcement and punishment should be more improved to prevent factories and other industries from emitting pollution.
14.How can the Asthma Files enable or supplement this way of thinking about environmental health, and the work of this person, group or organization?
The Asthma Files can help Beijing EPB follow closely on human health in Beijing. Through Beijing EPB, Chinese government may involve in and set up centers, charities even foundations for people who suffer in Asthma.
1. What person, group or organization is being profiled, and why are they of interest to this project?
Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau (Beijing EPB) 北京环境保护局 is a department controlled under the People’s Government of Beijing. It consists of 23 divisions such as administration office, environmental monitoring division, atmospheric environment management division, among others. Furthermore, 13 universities and institutions are listed as the subordinates of the EPB including Beijing Municipal Research Institute of Environmental Protection, Beijing Municipal Emergency and Accident Research Center, etc. Thus, Beijing EPB plays a significant role in environmental protection not just in Beijing, but also all over China.
2. What have they done—through research, or public health program or education forum, for example—that illustrates how they have worked to improve air pollution governance and environmental public health?
Beijing EPB has done the following to improve environmental public health:
Implementing relevant national laws, regulations, rules and policies on environmental protection; drawing up drafts of relevant local laws and governmental regulations in Beijing.
The overall coordination, supervision and management of the key environmental issues in Beijing as well as providing key ideas and solutions to environmental incidents.
Undertaking the obligations of regulating pollution reduction targets as well as supervising the pollutant emission in Beijing.
Participating in formulation of the grand-plans and the programs of economical and social development and being responsible for the analysis of different environmental situations.
Providing source prevention and taking control of the environmental pollution or damages in Beijing.
Coordinating the ecological conservation and evaluating the eco-environment in Beijing.
The supervision and management of the radio-active plants in Beijing.
Managing the environmental monitoring and information disclosure in Beijing.
Contacting science and technology work of the environmental; exchanging updated information on environmental protection with the rest of the world.
Guiding the environmental education in Beijing.
Undertaking other assignments from the municipal government.
3. What timeline of events illustrates how this way of addressing environmental public health has developed?
In 2005, Beijing EPB signed the ‘Memorandum of Understanding on Environment Cooperation’ with the California Environmental Protection Agency to renew and strengthen the cooperation relationship on sciences, technologies and policies in the field of environmental protection between two agencies.
On Jun. 6th 2014, CTO of the California Air Resources Board (carb) attended the meeting with Beijing EPB to discuss the potential air quality issues and solutions in the future.
On Sept. 22nd 2014, ‘World Car Free Day’, Beijing EPB organized the ‘Clean Air Bike Riding (清洁空气创意骑行)’. Over a thousand Beijing citizens participated in this event to show their responsibility towards improving the air quality in Beijing.
In August 2015, the Municipal Finance Bureau(财政局) and the Beijing EPB issued the ‘Beijing's air pollution control technology incentive fund management approach (北京市大气污染防治技术改造项目奖励资金管理办法)’ to encourage enterprises to adopt advanced pollution control technology. In addition, a support of up to 20 million RMB is provided to a single environmental technology project.
Through August 3rd to 7th 2015, Beijing EPB organized the ‘Month of Atmosphere （大气执法月）’ selective examination. 120 violations out of 1481 factories are all placed on file.
4. Does this person, group or organization claim to have a new or unique way of addressing environmental public health? Does this approach point to or suggest problems with other approaches?
Beijing EPB developed an ‘Online Office (网上办事处）’ in order to let small business and individuals to get the license (许可证) on pollutant emission efficiently and conveniently.
Beijing EPB enables Beijing citizens to report pollutant over-emission online anonymously.
People can find out whether their automobile exceed the emission limitation through Beijing EPB official website
5. What data have they collected or use to support their approach to environmental public health? What visualization of this data has been created?
In 2008, Beijing EPB published ‘Beijing EPB data monitoring and management system (北京市环保局监测数据管理系统的研究与开发)’ (Liu 2008). The paper describes the research and development of the data management system, including system design, data structure design and system functions of Beijing EPB. This system not only can analyze the effects of a variety of environmental conditions on environmental quality, but also can assess the overall environmental situation through evaluating the details of the pollution point source.
Beijing EPB gathers and publishes the concentrations of PM 2.5 in Beijing and contiguous area on the official website everyday.
Beijing EPB publishes report on air quality monthly to state the average concentration of pollutants such as PM 2.5, PM 10, SO2 and NO2.
Beijing EPA posted the ‘Air Quality Index (AQI)’ everyday to communicate to the public how polluted the air is.
6. What research has the organization produce or drawn on in their initiatives—in the last year, and over the last decade?
Beijing EPB does not involve much in research, but mainly promulgates regulations and policies with the Chinese government.
7. What kinds of technology and infrastructure do they rely on in the production of environmental health care?
Beijing EPB uses specialized equipment and analytical methods monitor air pollutant concentrations.
Air Dispersion Model that combines topographic, emissions and meteorological data is used by Beijing EPB to predict air pollutant concentrations and to interpret air monitoring data. In addition, given the multiple types and increasing volumes and importance of monitoring data, software E-MDMS is known to be used by Beijing EPB.
8. What events or data seem to have motivated their ways of thinking about and engaging environmental health?
After the foundation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, as the capital of China, Beijing has experienced a great development in industry, which causes severe and unexpected environmental pollution. To protect human health for citizens in Beijing, the Chinese government established the Beijing EPB to monitor and control the environment in Beijing.
9. What social ecology does this person, group or organization work within, and how did it shaped their way of conceiving and engaging asthma?
Since Beijing EPB is a government-run agency, it maintains its appearance on local newspaper and TV channels time to time. In addition, Beijing EPB cooperates with other Bureaus and NGOs to hold environment protection educational events at least twice a year, take for instance, the bike-riding event mentioned previously. Beijing EPB holds lectures on not only asthma but also all other air pollution related diseases every month either online or in universities.
10. What funding enables their work and possibly shapes their way of thinking about environmental health?
Beijing EPB is required to provide annual report on the research progress in order to obtain funding from the Chinese government annually. The funding is named National Natural Science Funding (国家自然科学基金）, which has mainly served as a support for scientific research including environmental related experiments. However, EPB is mainly funded from the Beijing Financial Bureau.
11. What in the history of this person, group or organization likely shaped the way they conceived or and engage environmental health?
Beijing EPB is set up by Chinese government to regulate and monitor the environment condition in Beijing. It is entirely driven and shaped by government regulations and the will of Beijing citizens.
12. What does this person, group or organization seem to find methodologically challenging or concerning in dealing with environmental health?
Beijing EPB is a government owned agency, thus, it is solely controlled by the government. However, the power of the government is limited and due to the imperfection of the environmental protection related law system in China, most regulations promulgated by Beijing EPB are not entirely complied by the local factories and business. Moreover, the standard limitation of pollutant emission is relatively low in China compared to other developed countries, therefore, the overall air quality in Beijing is still not sound enough.
13. What kinds of governance are called for in the way they think about environmental health?
Citizens in Beijing should pay more attention to the environment issues nowadays and give more support to the agencies and government on environment recovery. Law enforcement and punishment should be more improved to prevent factories and other industries from emitting pollution.
14. How can the Asthma Files enable or supplement this way of thinking about environmental health, and the work of this person, group or organization?
The Asthma Files can help Beijing EPB follow closely on human health in Beijing. Through Beijing EPB, Chinese government may involve in and set up centers, charities even foundations for people who suffer in Asthma.