Blue Sky Fabrication in China: Science-Policy Integration in Air Pollution Regulation Campaigns for Mega-Events

Abstract

How does the Chinese government, on occasion, manage to spirit away China’s immense air pollution problem? In order to ensure that blue skies will greet participants in international mega-events in China, such as the 2008 summer Olympic Games, the 2014 APEC summit, and the G20 summit in 2016, host cities and surrounding regional governments have often implemented stunningly comprehensive plans for controlling air pollution which have usually included the halting of industrial production, the restriction of traffic, the suspension of construction work, and the relocation of residents. These plans are formulated and implemented for a defined period of time only, and they seem to represent an ad hoc top-down campaign-style of governance rather typical of Chinese politics. In contrast to traditional political campaigns in China, however, governance campaigns nowadays involve a much more significant level of scientific knowledge and steering. For the current “blue sky” campaigns, for instance, environmental engineers are asked to design and oversee measures for smog and air quality control in close collaboration with local authorities, while political scientists are consulted to mitigate the potential risk of any public backlash against the harsh regime of pollution control. We argue that the integration of policy and science that occurs for the purpose of alleviating air pollution during these events deserves specific attention with regard to what can be learned about the incorporation of scientific knowledge into policy making in China and its tangible effects. Based on a study of the G20 summit that was held in Hangzhou in September 2016, this article explores how, under this special form of pollution control enforcement, the government regionally mobilized public (and especially scientific) resources to fabricate blue skies. Finally, the sustainable effects of science-policy integration for implementing impromptu air pollution control are also examined.