When a Billion Chinese Jump: Why Japan and the world are concerned about China's environmental crisis

China's environmental challenges differ from anything experienced by other countries during a similar stage of development. Drawing on more than 200 interviews with senior politicians, scientists, businessmen and individuals the length and breadth of the country, Watts considers four questions: "How environmental destruction became the new 'China threat?', "Why history and geography are conspiring against China?", " Whether scientific development is turning red China green?" and "Which values offer the greatest potential for future growth?". He will also plot the process of "pollution in-sourcing" from the eastern coast to the western interior, and ponder the future of "middle-aged mankind".

Presenter: Jonathan Watts is Asia Environment Correspondent for The Guardian, a former president of the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China and vice-president of FCCJ. His is author of "When a Billion Chinese Jump", a 100,000km environmental travelogue that traces the course of China's development from coal mines and cancer villages to eco-cities and science labs. Watts' multimedia career includes seven years in Japan, five trips to North Korea, the 2000 G8 summit, the 2002 World Cup, the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, and work for CNN, BBC, TV Tokyo, Mother Jones, South China Morning Post and Asahi Shimbun.

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