Politics of snow a constant challenge for China

• Source: Global Times
• [08:29 January 05 2010]
• Comments

Climate is politics. While climate change transformed the politics of global bargaining power at the end of the past decade, the beginning of the new decade finds China tackling the challenge of extreme weather such as Beijing's heaviest snowfall since 1951.

The snow reminds people of the bitter lessons learned in the past decade and, above all, of the long journey ahead in managing emergencies and integrating the management as an important part of society-building.

The Chinese government has rightly made continuous moves in establishing an effective emergency management system, which has come into play in the current battle against the snowstorm.

Public awareness of staying alert to radical climate change has been raised to a new high, especially since the Snowstorm Disaster in early 2008.

Needless to say, about 30 laws and regulations have been promulgated regarding disaster prevention and reduction, including the Emergency Response Law enacted in 2007. More disaster-reduction infrastructure projects have been built across the country.

Despite all these efforts, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the Chinese emergency management system has too many casualties to count and too many loopholes to fix – as much as any other emergency management system elsewhere in the world.

Take Canada for example. The country experienced in dealing with snow-related emergencies is still often confronted with road and air traffic being thrown out of gear by heavy snow.

The reason may be simple: Weather and environment – the life support system for all – are fraught with uncertainties. When it comes to emergency management, historical experience alone is not sufficient.

No work on contingency planning can ever be total and final to deal with any and all potential emergencies.

But the Chinese emergency management does face some special tests posed by the politics of snow.

In the current snowstorm, numerous examples can be cited to underscore that further improvement can be made in public transport, more efficient early warning systems, and mobilization of the public to clear accumulated snow.

Measures should also be taken to prevent shortage of gas supplies and maintain food and vegetable prices.

As China steps into a "complicated" new year and decade, a prompt and effective solution to problems of emergency management can be crucial in improving the quality of life and building a human-centered society that delivers both economic efficiency and social justice.

In that sense, as in this Chinese saying, "a timely heavy snow promises a good harvest," the heaviest snowfall in decades may be a blessing.