Recent events like Beijing’s “Airpocalypse” and the classification of soil pollution as a “state secret” have caused major public concerns over the safety of China’s environment. Newly-installed Premier Li Keqiang has acknowledged a greater need for transparency, but will the new government really be willing (or able) to tackle some of the most daunting environmental issues the world has ever seen?

Barbara Finamore, the China program director of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), has worked with Chinese government officials for over two decades on sustainable development initiatives and environmental policy. In today’s podcast she tells us what gives her hope from China’s new leadership and what issues still remain major concerns.

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