China essay
... of efforts to control air pollution. (Articles 1&12) China’s burning of large amounts of coal not only contributes to its air pollution but also to global warming. Since coal is China’s main source of energy, the rate of growth in China’s carbon dioxide emissions is much greater than any other emitter in the world. Sulfur dioxide and soot caused by coal combustion are two major air pollutants that causes acid rain, which now falls in about 30 percent of China’s total land area. In an effort to lower coal consumption, natural gas and coalbed methane, and hydropower are being developed. A renewable energy resource such as wind is also being developed. (Articles 2,12,&13) Not every effect of China’s rising economy is related to pollution. China’s rapid urbanization is causing farmers to move onto smaller and smaller farms. Farmers have lost over 13,500 square miles of land. Since farming is no longer considered profitable, millions of people have stopped farming. China’s production of rice, corn, and wheat dropped to about 401 million tons in 2003. This is down 18 percent from the record 486 million tons in 1998. For the first time in five years, China will import wheat. The wholesale price of wheat has gone up to 28 percent during the past year. Even with the negative impact urbanization is having on China’s farmers; developers are not putting a stop to the building of buildings. (Article 11) Chinese leaders are aware of the problems their economic development is having on the world. China is making a lot of reforms to help combat the environmental pollution. In 1996, the State Council issued a five-year plan on environmental protection. The government also declared environmental protection a basic national policy. (Article 13) The cost of environmental pollution in China is quite high. Air and water pollution cost China about $54 billion US dollars per year. The air pol...