China's Environmental Problems

China has directed its policy to achieve both unimpeded economic growth and improved environmental protection. Maintaining economic growth through urbanization and a consumer society is at the expense of the environment. The consequences of ignoring the environment will incur significant social and economic costs in the future. Economic productivity and a high standard of living ethically conflicts with maintaining the delicate balance of the earth. The Chinese government and its citizens must increase environmental awareness and perspective in order to avoid a global environmental crisis.

Today, urbanization, one of the results of China’s rapid economic and industrial growth, is at the root of some of the most complex environmental problems facing China today. China’s population today is 1.3 billion, and is still rapidly expanding. Although China’s population is currently 38% urbanized, it is expected to increase 1.5% annually. It is expected to increase to 50% by 2010. China’s urbanized population is lower compared to developed countries. In 2002, the United States was 77% urbanized. China is currently about twenty years behind the United States in terms of percent of citizens living in urban areas. If China were to urbanize to current U.S. levels, without strict environmental regulation, the negative environmental impact on China and the world would be enormous.

There are two main consequences of urbanization: rapid economic growth and environmental degradation. These two consequences exist in conflict with one another, thus making the solution to China’s environmental problems more complex. In order to stop environmental degradation, economic growth must be slowed. These environmental problems are overwhelmingly problematic not just for China but the world. The dramatic increase in air pollution as a result of rapid industrialization is one of the most prominent environmental problems China facing today.

China accounts for six of the ten most polluted cities in the world as a result of their heavy reliance on coal as a major fuel source. China uses coal, a nonrenewable resource, for producing 75 percent of the country’s energy supply. The inexpensive price of coal does not take into account the external cost of environmental damage. According to recent World Bank estimates, air and water pollution costs China 8-12 percent of their GDP. “Because coal is too cheap and users do not pay these costs themselves, they tend to overuse the energy resources” (Dollar 1).

The coal industry is not the only major contributor to air pollution in China. Industrial polluters release 78.9 percent of China’s SO2 emissions. The discharge of SO2 causes acid rain, which affects the quality of the air as well as the condition of the water supply by increasing Ph levels that can disrupt natural aquatic ecosystems. Acid rain affects thirty percent of China’s total territory and has become a serious environmental problem in the central and the southeastern regions of the country (Acid Rain in China 1). While China possesses technology that can limit the amount of pollution released, these machines are often extremely expensive to install. Machines that are environmentally friendly are costly and could therefore lead to closed factories and loss of jobs, thus stifling economic growth. This blog only discusses the problems with China’s air pollution. China also has water and land pollution issues, just to name a few.

Especially in Beijing, the automobile has become the most desirable consumer product and a symbol of a rising middle class. In 1998 60% of commuters used bikes in Beijing. That number dropped to 20% in 2002. Today, the local government reports that 80% of all registered vehicles in Beijing are on the road every day. As a result of China’s growing economy, the cost of owning a car is less expensive than it has ever been for the average person. Convenience, freedom, and lack of environmental awareness produce some of the worst traffic pollution experienced in the world.

China is not pursuing a more environmentally stable society because it believes that economic growth will help with environmental issues. The influence of technology would allow China to be more environmentally friendly without halting economic growth. China’s mindset is demonstrated by this quotation, “pollute first, pay later”. Many Chinese leaders are faced with an ethical dilemma. They cannot focus on environmental issues when poverty remains eminent, “Poverty and eradication and economy development are still the overriding priorities in China”. To many people it is not possible to justify fighting environmental problems when many Chinese citizens still face dire economic and social burdens.

This blog only skims the surface of Chinas environmental problems. Could the world still exist if China reached the urbanized rate that the United States has today? What is the next step for China?

Acid Rain in China. Industrial Pollution. 28 Oct. 2005.
Dollar, David. "Environmental taxes mean healthier China." CHINAdaily . 25 Oct 2005 .