When we talk about Beijing, what environmental issue you would think of at once? Guess most people’s answer is toxic smog. Air pollution has been beset Beijing and North China in recent years. The city is also facing other environment and sustainability problems like urban planning, energy consumption, climate change etc.

21 students of the MSc Program in Environmental Science, Policy and Management and BSc Program in Environmental Management and Technology, led by Prof. Arthur Lau and Dr. N. T. LAU of the Division of Environment, visited Beijing from 8 to 13 January 2017 to get first-hand experience and understand the approaches that various public and private sectors are adapting to handle the environmental problems in Beijing. 

Air pollution is the hottest environmental issue in Beijing. National Meteorological Centre of CMA issued the highest red alert for fog forecast and second highest orange alert for server smog in early January 2017. Students visited the China National Environmental Monitoring Center (CNEMC) to understand the air quality monitoring system in Beijing and participated in the talks held by Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention to discuss health risks caused by air pollution and other health topics related to the urban development.   

Beijing is the capital city for centuries of different dynasties with numerous historical heritages. There are always conflicts between urban development and preservation of historical sites, so proper urban planning is particularly important in Beijing. Students attended talks at Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, a research institute of social sciences, to exchange views on topics related to urban planning and development in Beijing and Hong Kong. Tsinghua University is certainly another famous spot they could not miss to walk around the campus and join the seminar on urban development.

Green energy is the key to sustainable future. Students visited the Goldwind Science & Technology Co., Ltd., a wind power company, and Tianpu Group Company, the largest solar power equipment manufacturer in China, to explore the latest technology development of renewable energy in China.

Students also visited the Beijing Gaobeidian Sewage Treatment Plant, the largest domestic wastewater treatment plant in Beijing handling the city’s 40% wastewater, to understand the typical sewage treatment.