Wu Changhua who flies and fights for climate change

The world has expressed its amazement at China's GDP growth and poverty alleviation achievements, but its progress in environmental protection is less well known. Back in 1972, under the leadership of Premier Zhou Enlai, delegates from China for the first time attended an international conference on the environment – the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment. It was clear then that pollution was a global problem, and that China had a role to play in tackling it. But amid the disruption of the Cultural Revolution, the seeds of environmentalism didn’t fall on fertile ground.

Decades on, China has become almost unrecognizable, and pioneers in environmental protection like Wu Changhua are hard at work transforming China from a novice to a leader in environmental protection. “Blue waters and green mountains are as valuable as mountains of gold and silver (绿水青山就是金山银山),” Xi Jinping said when he called on government, business, and the people to protect China’s natural world. The country has signed up to many international treaties on the environment, and has committed to share its experience with other countries to help them achieve their sustainability goals. And closer to home, the government has taken steps to nudge people in the right direction. One example that came to my mind, as someone living in a drought city like Beijing, was the government’s decision to raise the price of water used for irrigation, which encourages farmers to invest in more water-efficient drip technology to water their crops.

Wu Changhua is not only a policy advisor for the government but also an educator at school campuses. She and other similar-minded people have succeeded in planting the seeds of environmentalism into the hearts of many young people, including her son, who at the age of 11 said to her that his dream is to invent new energy vehicles. Because of her busy schedule and her need to travel, Wu’s son rarely gets to spend time with his mom. After the interview, Wu told us "The three of us live in three different cities, and of course my husband and son meet from time to time to bond. But not me; I can't often make it.”

Wu Changhua, Executive Director of Professional Association for China's Environment, takes an interview from China Plus on Oct. 31, 2018. [Photo: China Plus]

Wu Changhua has embraced social media, which is to be expected given her passion for communication and advocacy. After our interview, she posted photos of our time together on WeChat and said, “Had an interview with Manling. We talked about China's 40 years of reform and my personal work experiences of enlightenment and awareness in my career. Just imagine, two talkative women together, such chemistry and understanding!” Before hurrying off to her next event, Wu invited me to work with her on advancing the cause of environmentalism. As we’re both women who speak a universal language and have been exposed to the outside world, and who want to do things to help our country and the common good, perhaps we could find a way to bring together other like-minded women to promote a greener lifestyle – or even equal rights. My passions are education and broadcasting. She clearly has a drive to educate, and she told me that, if she were to go back and have her time again, she would consider hosting a television show – one of the best mediums for getting her message out.

I left Wu Changhua more enlightened about the challenges facing the environment. I also felt encouraged and inspired to find ways to dedicate more time and energy to this cause, and am eager to leave the door open to working with her in the future. Perhaps one day we can find a way to join hands to promote a greener lifestyle using her voice as an educator and the platform I can offer as a broadcaster.