Environmental+Issues+in+China


 * Environmental Issues in China**




 * Introduction**

With their ever-growing and expanding population along with the rapid and massive push to become one of the largest industrialized nations, China now leads the globe in resource consumption. This all-consuming search for raw materials to feed the people and fuel the industries has lead to devastating consequences for the environment. From polluted water and air to striped and toxic land, China, her people, and the world at large are suffering from this staggering leap forward that continues to be pursued carelessly and inefficiently. Through the work of several Chinese artists we will explore the impact these actions have had on the environment, China, and her place in the global community.


 * Background on Environmental Issue in China**

With nearly one-fifth of all mankind residing in its borders, China faces an environmental challenge on a scale never before seen by modern society. According to the World Bank, sixteen of the twenty most polluted cities on earth are in China (Kynge, 151). Pollution levels in China are so high that roughly three-quarters of a million people die prematurely each year because of air and water pollution. According to Tania Branigan, in her report //China’s Mother River//, because of large-scale industrial dumping and sewage disposal from major cities, one-third of China’s Yellow River is so polluted that it is unusable even for agriculture.

In addition to pollution China faces many challenges involving the over-exploitation of water resources and encroaching desertification. Over-exploitation of China’s Yellow River has led to the mighty river slowing to a trickle as it approaches the East China Sea, hurting those who have relied on it for centuries for both agricultural and drinking water. It is estimated that this over-use is actually so severe in northern China that the water table is dropping as much as seven feet each year. In addition to water shortages, many parts of China are facing rapidly expanding desertification due to deforestation, over-exploitation of water resources, further imperiling the livelihoods and lives of many Chinese citizens.

Some of the environmental problems in China have become so bad that they are even affecting countries half-way around the world, such as when a cloud of polluted air over New England was identified as having originated in China (Kynge, 152). The population boom has made China one of the world's highest-consuming nations, draining resources like rainforests in Asia and Africa for wood, and becoming the highest importer of oil, as well (Kynge, 153). The issues affecting China not only damage the lives of Chinese people, but affect countries throughout the world.

While the Chinese government seems to be aware of these growing environmental problems, little is being done to remedy them. The government has created groups with the outward appearance of helping protect China's environment (such as the Huai River Valley Bureau of Water Resources Protection and the Huai River Conservatory Commission of the Ministry of Water Resources), yet they give them no real authority or funding (Economy, 3). The environmental problems of China are growing at an incredibly fast rate, yet there is little to no political accountability (Kynge, 149). As they continue to grow during the twenty-first century China must face the ever-present challenge of fostering rapid economic growth without destroying the natural world around them.




 * Exploration of Environmental Issues in China**

The issues of environment in China affect many aspects of living in China, from agriculture to breathable air in the cities. These issues have been explored through the work of many contemporary Chinese artists and groups in China. The links below will take you to pages that further explore the environmental issues in China through some of this Chinese art.

Longitude 109.88 E and Latitude 31.09 N Longitude 109.88 E and Latitude 31.09 N by Zhuang Hui

Flowers and Frogs Huang Jun Huang Jun

Shan Shui Environmental Art Poster Shan Shui Environmental Art

River River River River by Chen Qiulin


 * References**

//Online sources//

A Short History of China's Fragile Environment. //Planet Ark//. Accessed March 25, 2009. [].

Datong, Ning. An Assessment of Economic Losses Resulting from Various Forms of Environmental Degradation in China. Accessed March 25, 2009. [].

Comparative Study of Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo, and Shanghai. Accessed March 25, 2009. [].

Cleaning the Air: China's Environmental Challenge. Accessed March 25, 2009. []

China's Great Green Wall. //BBC News//. Accessed March 25, 2009. [].

Environment of China. //Wikipedia//. Accessed April 5, 2009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environment_of_China

//Print sources//

Economy, Elizabeth C. //The River Runs Black: The Environmental Challenge to China's Future.// New York: Cornell University, 2004.

Kynge, James. //China Shakes the World: A Titan's Rise and Troubled Future and the Challenge for America.// New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006.

Gifford, Rob. //China Road: A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power.// New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2007.

//**Other useful links**//

[|The Geological Effect of Chinese Invasion of Tibet]

Environmental Art. //Chinaculture.org//. Accessed March 25, 2009. [].

China Photo Essay, Stephen Voss, []

Children's Environmental Art Competition, []

Environchina.net. []

China's Environmental Crisis. //The New York Times//. August 27, 2007. [].

Environmental Crisis. //China Digital Times//. Accessed March 25, 2009. [].

Cleaner Greener China. [].

Cleaner Production in China. [].

China's Environmental Movement. [|http://www.cfr.org/publication/7770/chinas_environmental_movement.html?breadcrumb=default]

Air Pollution in China. //E-Renlai Magazine//. [].