cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/58365317
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When security camera footage emerged on Wednesday of a wave of ice, mud and water smashing into the Tibet region, people across the world were horrified.
The distressing vision showed the China-controlled Tibet border crossing into Nepal being completely wiped out, along with dozens of people running for their lives.
It was harrowing to watch and gave undeniable proof of the severity of the Himalayan border disaster.
Nepal flash floods updates: Follow this story as it unfolds with our live blog.
But inside China the online video disappeared as quickly as it surfaced. Beijing's censors were at work.
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China's control of information is well-documented and common, including inside Tibet, which has been under Beijing's control since the 1950s.
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China's media only distributes state-approved messages, content and pictures, while communication channels inside the country, including peoples' social media, are heavily monitored.
Content that does not follow strict government regulations can be restricted or deleted by a team of censors, or by AI algorithms that flag "problematic" content.
Chinese authorities have provided scant detail of the people affected by in the Tibet region, only broadly confirming that 558 people were missing, including 260 foreign nationals. There was no breakdown of nationalities.
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They have also not provided any specific information about the settlements and villages in the areas that have been affected.
The top news story on Thursday's prime time bulletin of the state-operated CCTV news was a piece on the launch of a new book by President Xi Jinping.
That story also led the front page of the country's most popular newspaper, People's Daily, on Friday.
At the bottom of the front page was an article about 800 metres of roads in the landslide-stricken areas having been reopened, with pictures of rescue teams.
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In Nepal, where a flash flood from the same disaster has killed hundreds and left hundreds more missing, the flow of information could not be more different.
Nepali authorities quickly released a detailed breakdown of suspected missing tourists, including their tour companies and their citizenship.
They have also provided rolling updates on the situation.
The humans at the heart of this catastrophe have been put at the centre of the story, given the opportunity to share their harrowing accounts and experiences.
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But the ability to hear from real people in Tibet is made near impossible due to China's reporting restrictions that block foreign journalists from independently travelling to the region.
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Activists group the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) says that means many people are too scared to post on social media or share news about the disaster because they fear punishment from Chinese officials.
The result, according to Ryan Fioresi from ICT, is a situation where "only the Chinese government controls the information flow".
"In a disaster situation that means that local residents, afraid of punishment, are not posting about where people are trapped or where the damage is the worst," he said.
"If people are afraid to share that information, or if their posts are removed, potentially useful information may not reach families, relief workers or the wider public."
Several smaller Chinese media outlets, which are also state media, were able to get to the site and initially published interviews with some witnesses.
But within hours those articles were taken down.
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China's tight control of information is not surprising but it can carry different ramifications in a disaster.
Because in an effort to restrict what is getting out, Beijing runs the risk of scrubbing the very real, and desperate, calls for help from affected communities.
Per capita they produce one third the carbon compared to the US. Fox loves to say they are the biggest emitter but that's because of their massive population. I don't see what's so difficult about this but everyone gets weird about it.
That's the thing with statistics. Depending on how you slice it you can prove almost anything. Last hundred years? They would be on the low side. Last couple of decades they're up there with the highest of them. Per capita again low side total, again up there with the highest stuff. Doesn't matter whether they're the worst or not. Just that they are plenty responsible as is the west. It's not an East-West thing. It's an industrialized nation thing. Which they solved we have a seat at the table. Like I said though I will give them some small credit. They haven't shut down a lot of the coal power plants like they said they were going to. But they are investing heavily in wind and solar. Whereas the mentally ill moron in charge of the United States is trying to rip it all out like Reagan did.
Yeah, see, you seem to find this difficult. One third per capita. One fucking third and you're... whatever that was.
You do understand they were never at par with the West per capita right? It's not like they were at par and brought it down. They were always way, way, way below per capita.
Anyways, you may continue with whatever that was. I'm gonna peace out.
No difficulties here. You're simply arguing against claims I've never made. All I've pointed out is it they are an industrialized nation and have contributed a significant amount of the pollution that's causing the warming. I didn't say it was the Lion's Share I didn't say it was even the majority.
Do you think that whether or not they produce less per capita changes any of that?
Per capita per capita per capita per capita
Oh would you look at that, they still produce a third of the world's Co2 - by themselves. Nuts.
Yes per capita. Per capita is what matters. No country gets a free pass to do whatever they want just because they have a lower population. Per capita is literally what matters.
Imagine it this way: The US cuts carbon production by two thirds. What do you think the response would be? You'd never hear the end of it. How great the US is. How awesome the US is. How the US is responsible. How the US is not only taking charge, but how they've put their money where their mouth is and has succeeded wildly because they just cut their carbon by two fucking thirds. How awesome is that. How everyone else needs to get on the level of the US. How the US is the savior of everyone and everything. Etc etc etc. Guess what? China is already there. And the response? Crickets. Worse than crickets actually. They are horrible. They are responsible. They are everything that is wrong on the planet. They need to do more. The world can't wait, they need to act. Like fucking what? The difference it seems is that people don't understand, wait for it, per capita.
Or put it a different way: Do you think Americans have a god given right to pollute 3 times as much (because you know, per capita) just because they are Americans? Just because the US population is smaller overall? Yeah nuts to that I guess, 3 times for us USA USA USA.