2007 has been a surprisingly busy year on the China side of things. This month I was yet again summoned from the depths of my urban retreat, this time to arrange an excursion to the Loess Plateau and seek out those who could help explain the complex ecological impacts of rampant desertification, and the equally confusing array of government measures installed to counter the widespread problem.
In concise terms, the last story was about water, this one's about dirt. That the wounded state of these elements of nature basic to life on earth is the subject of growing anxiety and attention around the world is somewhat telling in itself, and rather disconcerting to think about. Fortunately, these trends are not entirely irreversible, and there has certainly been progress by China in repairing some of the damage.
As usual, I was traveling with Charles Mann. [The article will not be appearing for some time, so I'll not mention the magazine here yet.]
Our interviews began in Beijing, where numerous scientists and advisors are based (making them conveniently accessible to lawmakers), and where sand storms have become increasingly epidemic in their assaults on the capital, especially since the end of the 20th century.
*Note 1: Because our purpose was to get good interviews, not to take pictures, I didn't concentrate much on photography and as a result got very few good pictures out of the trip. I just took whatever I could get in passing. You'll notice in the following pages that I gave a little more weight to the words compared to recent trips; I also mostly selected pictures that best reflect the story. Also, in case you're wondering why there're so many wide, horizontal shots, it's because my camera has such a setting (which I frequently use), so the pictures were actually framed that way.
*Note 2: If me simply describing relative geographic locations is not enough, for the Shaanxi-Shanxi stretch (i.e., most of the trip) I've labeled a map with place names mentioned in the text so you can see their relative locations. It's here. (Open the link in a new window if you think you might want to reference it later.)
[29 oct 07]