Manage Beijing’s “Big City Disease” and Achieve the Capital’s Green Development

Abstract

The GDI measurement and comparison as well as the public survey of Green Development Index Report 2012—Regional Comparison inspires my reflection on the capital’s “big city disease”. The “big city disease” refers to varieties of drawbacks such as environmental pollution, traffic congestion and resource constraints caused by the excessive concentration of the urban population, industries and transport. It not only brings trouble and inconvenience to the people living in the city, but also has some impact on the operation of the city. Air pollution in big cities is caused by many reasons. The sources resulting in Beijing’s PM2.5 include: direct and indirect emissions from motor vehicles (22.2 %); coal pollution (16.7 %); industrial spray volatilization such as automotive and furniture spray-paint (16.3 %); urban dust pollution (15.8 %); rural straw incineration and others (4.5 %); and the regional impact from Beijing’s surroundings (24.5 %). Complex causes for air pollution determine the governance of the pollution to be a systematic project. The key to managing the “big city disease” caused by air pollution and realizing the capital’s green development lies in the government guidance, clear responsibilities of different aspects and cooperative promotion. We recommend eight measures to be taken as follows.