China and the Environment

Challenges population arable land loss air pollution greenhouse gases water pollution energy

population 1.3 billion and counting policy working –similar fertility rate to U.S. –will level off at 1.6 billion in 2050 –declines after that can modernization help the slowdown?

arable land loss net annual loss since 1950: 1,800 sq. mi. (Starr, 118) this is accelerating during reform period desertification also an issue –16 million acres lost –40 million acres at risk –dust storms in Beijing Chinese buying U.S. farmland (latimes.com) leasing land in Laos, Cuba, Mexico (People’s Daily Online)

“maximal use of limited land”

air pollution coal burning –especially unfiltered in rural areas: 70% smoke and dust, 92% sulfur dioxide (Sunday Herald) –by 2020, 100 million tons per year car smog –rapid growth –if every Chinese family 2-car family, 600 million cars

greenhouse gases fourth in the world (Starr, 179) could pass U.S. soon support Kyoto in principle, negotiating limits, according to official at Foreign Ministry sustainable?

water pollution

water 1995: 36.5 billion tons of sewage and industrial waste into water (Starr, 180) 90% water flowing through major cities undrinkable water depletion: most serious in North

energy one 100W light bulb per head, per year currently (Sunday Herald) net importer of oil now –responsible for 1/3 of the rise in daily oil consumption last year –predict same this year: 1/3 of 2 million barrel per day increase (Sunday Herald) energy-intensive industries –steel, aluminum, plastics –second, behind Japan, in oil usage (Sunday Herald)

Green development 2000 environmental NGO’s (Washington Post) articles in media green GDP