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description get their first two months free. In 2008, China hosted its first ever Olympic
Games. Over 10,000 athletes, from 200 countries,
competed in 300 summer events. But for China, it was about much more than
athletics, In many ways, this was Beijing’s grand entrance
to the world. As the most-watched televised event in history,
at the time, it was the perfect opportunity to show off
a healthy, happy, prosperous China to an international audience, one that has long been confused about and
often deeply suspicious, of the Middle Kingdom. So, its government spared no expense. The city was given an extreme makeover. The kind you can afford when your economy
relies on pouring concrete on any surface you can find, and then pouring again because
why not?, more labor means more economic growth. 9 Billion dollars was spent improving public
transit, doubling the size of the subway. Ugly powerlines were buried underground, flowers
planted, and twenty new buildings constructed, like the iconic Bird’s Nest, Which held
the Opening Ceremony on August 8th, 2008, at exactly 8:08 PM, a lucky number in China. The 4-hour event cost 100 million dollars. 7,000 per. second. And flying overhead, you would’ve noticed
that, although it was raining elsewhere that night, the sky above the open-roofed stadium
was perfectly clear. Only minutes after the ceremony ended, the
clouds magically reappeared. The event was so important, and China so determined,
that it changed the weather, literally shooting chemicals at the sky with rocket launchers. And yet, even when its image mattered the
most, China still couldn’t control its pollution. The city was covered in its signature, dangerously
thick, grey smog. Air quality was so bad that some athletes
changed events. Others decided not to compete at all. But what looks like a hopeless environmental
disaster, China sees as an amazing economic opportunity. Its now on a quest to clear its air, clean
its energy, and grow its economy, not despite these things, but because of them. There are two ways to look at environmental
impact, depending on whose payroll you’re on. Per capita, China’s CO2 emissions, for example,
are nothing special, About the same as Poland or Mongolia. Nowhere near a rich country like the U.S.,
the United Arab Emirates, or especially, Qatar. Wow. But, in total, China makes up a quarter of
the world’s emissions. With a population of 1.3 billion, it’s problem
is that it’s just so. darn. big. As the world’s largest car market, China
has as many motor vehicles as the U.S. has people, Three hundred twenty-two million. So, not only does it have that fun LA traffic,
but also the kind of pollution that stops planes from landing, the kind of pollution where you can’t see
your fingers, the kind you can vacuum up, condense, and
make a brick out of. But unlike America, where the automobile means
freedom, and freedom, well that’s our thing, The right to commute in a 16 seat SUV by yourself
is probably written in the constitution, China can and does just say “No.” Cities like Beijing, Guangzhou, and Guiyang,
only issue a tiny number of new license plates a year, through a lottery. Although, ”tiny” is kind of an understatement. The chance of winning is approximately 1 in
783, or was, until Beijing lowered the quota from 90,000 to 40, and now your chances are
1 in 2,031. Locals joke they’re more likely to win the
actual lottery. One government official was arrested for accepting
bribes of 30,000 US Dollars for a single plate. Shanghai, on the other hand, auctions them
off to the highest bidder, with an average price of $14,022, nearly twice China’s per
capita GDP, and considerably more than most of the cars they’re attached to. So, good luck buying a car unless you have
very deep pockets, powerful friends, or amazing luck. Even so, there are limitations. In Beijing, the last number of your license
plate determines which days you can drive on. For example, right now, until April 7th, numbers
1 and 6 can’t drive on Monday, 2 and 7 can’t on Tuesday, 3 and 8 on Wednesday, and so on. All are allowed on the weekend. The numbers switch four times a year, and
rule breakers get three points on their license, 12 of which suspends your ability to drive. These restrictions have helped reduce pollution,
but only so much. The Air Quality Index, which measures pollution,
is usually in the range of 50-100 in cities like LA, San Diego, and most of southern China. In the North, it’s often three, four, even
five times that much. Now, it’s easy to see these numbers, think
that China focuses only on economic growth and conclude that its government really doesn’t
care that much about pollution. But that’s not entirely true. For one, healthcare is really expensive. Pollution kills an estimated 1.6 million people
in the country a year. It also has a significant impact on tourism. What makes this issue so unique is that it
can’t be hidden - smog is there for everyone to see, and not in some far, Western province,
but in the capital, where politicians live and work. So, even Chinese-owned state media reports
on the problem. And while it isn’t exactly known as the
protest capital of the world, it has seen a few. If that wasn’t incentive enough, enter electric
cars. Perhaps nowhere on earth is better suited
to lead the EV revolution. Millions of Chinese are entering the middle
class, looking to buy their first car, and have no stigma against electric vehicles. It’s great for local companies, it helps
grow the larger economy, and it’s good for everyone’s lungs. So it’s no surprise that China buys more
EVs than the rest of the world combined. In the U.S., there’s California and everywhere
else. The Golden State buys almost ten times more
EVs than second place New York. In Palo Alto, you turn your head when you
see a car that’s not a Tesla. China is to the world, what California is
to the U.S. It’s making EVs irresistible. Like police cars and ambulances, they’re
exempt from the last-number rule, and have a separate line to apply for a license plate. Many don’t even require a driver’s license
at all, with a top speed of around 40 miles an hour. Smart Cars cost 20-30,000 dollars. These cost about 1. The government has given Tesla permission
to build a factory outside Shanghai, Converted all Shenzhen busses to electric, and doubled its charging infrastructure in
the last year. Of course, cars are only part of the problem. China also burns an insane amount of coal,
one of the worst environmental offenders. Even India pales in comparison. But these numbers are somewhat misleading. There are three common types of coal plants
- subcritical, supercritical and ultra-supercritical. The first being low-temperature and less efficient,
the last being high-temperature and more efficient. Over time, China has been building fewer and
fewer subcritical plants, and more and more efficient ones. By 2020, it’s estimated that every Chinese
coal plant will be more efficient than every coal plant in America. China doesn’t have nearly as much natural
gas. So, instead, it’s largely moving straight
to renewable energy, which it now produces more of than any other country. Like electric cars, its government has an
economic incentive. Compared to fossil fuel, renewable energy
usually creates far more jobs. In fact, coal employs fewer Americans than
fast food chain Arby’s. Already, Beijing’s air pollution has fallen
by 35%. This, according to experts, could save 20
million residents over 3 years of their lives. And even when its weaker economy in 2018 made
car sales fall to a two-decade low, electric and hybrid cars continued to grow. At a time when the U.S. is removing EV tax
credits and environmental protections, it’s more important than ever that China take the
lead. Its electric car revolution is just getting
started. Its anyone’s guess how the economy will
change in the next 20 years, but it’s always safe to invest in your self! Why not learn about the stock market, so you
can invest in clean energy or new battery technology with this class on Skillshare? Or watch Kurzgesagt teach you how to animate
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