Chinese Dismiss Climate Issues as Elitist, “Western Values” – Watts Up With That?

Essay by Eric Worrall

… there is a widespread suspicion and resistance toward what are perceived as “elite discourses” …

To make the climate issue resonate in China, root it in local realities

Climate discourse must connect with jobs, security and everyday life if it is to win public support.

By Tan Hao
Sept. 17, 2025

A few months ago, Chinese student Jiang Yurong’s commencement speech at Harvard University ignited a heated debate on the Chinese internet.

Her remarks emphasised diversity, humanity and globalism. They were met with ridicule back home, with some criticising them as empty and self-righteous. Others accused her of promoting so-called “Western values”. In the context of today’s tense international geopolitics, she was even portrayed as a spokesperson for American interests.

Like many online controversies, the discussion soon faded. But the deeper problem it reflected has not gone away. In China’s public sphere, there is a widespread suspicion and resistance toward what are perceived as “elite discourses”.

…

Climate change has become a central issue on the social agenda in many advanced economies. It is often viewed as an existential crisis, reflected in frequent protests that sometimes escalate into direct actions – blocking coal trains, disrupting traffic, and even vandalising museum artworks.

By contrast, public interest in China remains limited. This is despite government departments, research institutions and media platforms such as Dialogue Earth continuing to advance research and discussion on climate issues, with some success. For most Chinese citizens, climate change continues to rank far below employment, housing, medical care or education as a pressing concern.

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Read more: https://www.eco-business.com/opinion/to-make-the-climate-issue-resonate-in-china-root-it-in-local-realities/

The full article mentions some people think global warming will improve life in China. They’ve got a point – provinces like the near subarctic Chinese province Heilongjiang, which shares a border with Siberia, could use some global warming in winter.

Frankly it’s a good thing China are skeptical of Western climate crisis narratives, good for all of us. Everyone believing the same falsehoods at the same time would be putting all of humanity’s eggs in the same basket – a global disaster when the basket is dropped.

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