On April 21, Earth Day, researchers from Harvard University and Boston University released a new study showing that air pollution data from China’s five largest cities has been grossly manipulated and underreported by Chinese Communist Party officials.
Researchers from Harvard and Boston University found significant statistical discrepancies between air quality data released by monitoring stations in five cities – Beijing, Shenyang, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu – and air data collected by the U.S. Embassy. Comparing PM2.5 data recorded at monitoring stations in Chinese cities with those at the U.S. Embassy between January 2015 and June 2017, significant differences tended to occur during periods of high air pollution, indicating that local governments significantly underreported pollution levels when air quality was poor.
Researchers suggest that this occurs because local Communist Party officials face intense pressure from their superiors to report the “correct” numbers, manipulating and misreporting data to protect their own career prospects.
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