Environmental Pollution Experienced in China - Annotated Bibliography Example

Research Essay and Annotated Bibliography Student’s Name Institution Date Introduction Deforestation has enabled China to earn the nefarious title of the global leader in the emission of greenhouse gasses. This is due to the process of cutting down trees results in increased levels of carbon emissions. All countries that have emerged as major industrial powers on the global stage have shown a history of environmental degradation that has taken several decades and efforts from the public to undo these effects. The scale and speed of the rise of China as an economic power have been associated with several pollution problems that have shattered all limitations (Palo, and Vanhanen, 2012). The environmental pollution experienced in China has become extremely severe due to the current stark international and domestic repercussions against their pollution. The lack of strict regulations against pollution has made conservation efforts in China a long-term burden and also a parallel political problem to the ruling Communist party. The state of the public health is also deteriorating. Pollution has made disastrous effects such as Cancer, which has become the leading causes of mortality in China. Ambient air pollution has been blamed for several cases of deaths annually, and almost five hundred million individuals have lacked access to safe drinking water. Environmental pollution and Deforestation Marks, (2011), stated that Chinese cities have continually been wrapped in a toxic gray shroud. Only one percent of the nation’s five hundred million city population breathes air that has been considered safe by the European Union. Beijing has frantically begun searching for the best solutions for this devastating problem. Environmental pollution that might be seen as disastrous for some nation seems commonplace in China. Industrial towns where residents rarely see the sun, children have fallen ill due to issues of lead poisoning and other types of environmental pollution, their swamped algal red coastline tides that have made several sections of their oceans no longer capable of sustaining marine life. Sandstorms wiped out several thousand of hectares of farming land that expanded the deserted areas even further. This destruction left several areas of China scared for these manmade environmental disasters. The yearly smog and sandstorms that are currently occurring in Beijing are a great example. The government of China has recognized these issues and how deforestation is negatively affecting the country. The government has intended to begin a restoration effort of reforesting of forty million hectares by 2020.However, ins several cases, the local communities must develop alternative strategies to deal with deforestation. The environmental disaster faced by China goes back to the first Great Leap Forward that occurred in the 1950s.The process of transforming China into a hub of industrial superiority that Mao had envisaged required large amounts of steel. Therefore, several forested areas were destroyed as trees were cut down to feed the hunger of industrial development. Several mountainous regions in China were also cleared (Ho, and Nielsen, 2007). China is currently reeling in their success. The economy has posed a historic rise in their double-digit growth rates, however; their success has come at a cost. The rapid growth of their economy has been caused by tremendous expansion of massive urbanization and industrial efforts that have required the colossal need of energy entirely from coal, which is highly available but the most ineffective source. This degradation of the environment has put the government and the entire state in an awkward situation sine the greatest achievement of the nation has become their largest problem. There have emerged a growing pressure for change for several activists, however; several industrialists and other large multinationals have refused to accept that the country needs to accept that change is necessary. China’s problem has become a global issue (Delang, 2016). Nitrogen Oxides and Sulfur dioxide emitted by the coal-fired power plants in China have fallen as acid rains in neighboring cities such as Seoul, Tokyo and also in South Korea. Much of the pollution resulting from particulates in Los Angeles has originated from China. Rapid development in their industries has mainly depended on energy inputs, environmental services and also natural resources. Therefore, the depletion of resources and environmental degradation has become a critical issue that needs a proper restructuring of governmental policies. New empirical evidence and economic theories have refuted the element of economic growth; complete openness and also the environment are ultimate enemies. A more pressing issue is that China has entered into a highly robust phase of their industrial revolution process. This process has occurred as other nations globally have become actively engaged in global warming. Experts had earlier made assumptions that China had the ability in overtaking the United States as the global leader in producing greenhouse gasses by 2010.However; China might become the emissions leader by the end of that year. China exceeded these levels by a significant percentage. However, the process of growing the gross domestic product for China at all costs has created a state of environmental and social challenges and has consequentially, led to numerous economic losses (Shapiro, 2012). In 2008, environmental pollution and degradation accounted for over ten percent of the gross national income according to evaluations based on the numbers that were provided by the World Bank. Though the challenges have been consistent since the industrialization process of China began, these environmental problems have sporadically increased over the past forty years that has raised both domestic and international concerns. Although the Chinese government has taken significant steps in the process of addressing various environmental issues, their new policies are rapidly needed to be enforced to regulate structures that are both economically and environmentally sustainable. Conclusions and Recommendations If China effectively implements the proper policies right now, they may not entirely slow down their economic growth for the sole purpose of avoiding environmental deterioration. These changes will not be effective unless the current policy makers give sufficient provisions on incentives and initiate proper environmental regulations. The focus must shift from revenues to policies as these will lead to a sustainable environment. For China to become highly sustainable, these new policies must be established and entirely address the various tradeoffs involving sustainable development. Weak enforcement can highly explain the state of the environment and may also be due to a lack of respect for the standards or laws developed. Managi, and Kaneko, (2010) asserted that the selection of environmental policies mainly depends on the various preferences of the citizens of the country. Even with the authoritarian regime in China, the central government must try to reflect the preferences of individuals in their choices for the sole purpose of maintaining social stability. However, without a proper voting mechanism, it is highly challenging for this central authority to know the prevalent preferences and therefore. Observable information will assess policy making. The Chinese government has, therefore, paid most of their attention on challenges that are visible such as air pollution in the large cities. The preference of the government in this country has consistently leaned towards a faster economic growth with elements of lower environmental standards that have not adequately aligned with the preferences of the individual citizens. The public knows their best preferences especially in the combination of pollution and income. The process of making public participation a priority towards sustainable development becomes highly significant and necessary for China (Yan, and Liu, 2015). Annotated Bibliography Zhao, J. (2011). Ecological and Environmental Science & the Technology in China: A Roadmap to 2050. SpringerLink: Bücher. Springer Science & Business Media. Resources from UNE Library. Web. 20 May. 2016. The article clearly states that China has been ranked as one hundred and sixteen out of 132 nations in the listings of the Environmental Performance Index and since 2007; the country has overtaken the United States as the global leader of emission of greenhouse gasses. The author also states that an increase in revenue does not ultimately improve the condition of the environment. Numerous studies have failed to qualify their assertion that economic growth and openness have made it a necessary element that has caused environmental degradation. This is significant for China since it is highly likely that the country will not amend its efforts for growth. The article also shows how the destruction of forests significant reduced the number of water sources and also caused several adverse weather conditions. This first Great Leap Forward resulted in devastating famine in most areas of the country, and it lasted for over three years and claimed several millions of lives. The industrialization efforts also led to the massive destruction of agriculture efforts, the trade, and industry and also penetrated every element of human life. Gorrie, J. R. (2013). The China Crisis: How China's Economic Collapse Will Lead to a Global Depression. John Wiley & Sons Resources from UNE Library. Web. 20 May. 2016. The author asserted that China will not change their goal of economic development, however if the appropriate policies are implemented and effected correctly, the nation may not have to slow necessarily down or alter their growth process or return to the initial stage of addressing the challenges of environmental instability. The article further stated that rapid economic growth of China in recent years has brought several significant benefits, however, in several ways; these developments have occurred at the expense o the environment especially in the forests of the country. The results of deforestation in China have hurt the wildlife and local communities that suffered from several polluted waterways that have reduced ecosystems and also contaminated the air. The global community has negatively felt this impact since the process of deforestation has largely contributed to various changes in climate and the implications such as worsening storms and rise of sea levels have been felt in areas such as Hong Kong. Edmonds, L. R. ( 2012). Patterns of China's Lost Harmony: The Survey of the Country's Environmental Degradation and Protection. Routledge Resources from UNE Library. Web. 20 May. 2016. The author explores how environmental problems of China are not likely to disappear. However, the country has spent several financial resources than any country on water and land restoration. However, only about eleven percent of the forests of China have a healthy ecological, functioning. Forty-three percent of the surface water is heavily polluted for human consumption and fifty-seven percent of urban groundwater, which is the current primary drinking source, is also contaminated. The article further explains how China has clearly shown that they can build a stable, powerhouse economy and allocate the necessary resources to numerous individuals and pull them out of poverty. The challenging part is the development of an adaptive state that is highly efficient. This task is highly challenging, and therefore, China must reboot their economy, shift their focus to their current environmental strategies to change the decades of environmental decline and revamp their social contract to all citizens in the face of rapid urbanization. The author showed how this problem cannot be easily solved by banning street vendors or private vehicles or shutting down private factories. The government and relevant policymakers must actively engage in efforts of stopping illegal and also legal logging. They must put stringent rules on gigantic irrigation projects and various constructions that negatively impact the environment through the clearing of the remaining forests and damage the environment. The article concludes on how Beijing does not need any more skyscrapers or large circular roads. Beijing and all other Chinese cities need a green belt. The government must invest and support restoration efforts with a monetary and legal support system that will be a more efficient way of assisting in handling the pollution challenges of China and lead the nation to a brighter and greener future. References Delang, C. O. (2016). China's Water Pollution Problems. Routledge Ho, M. S. & Nielsen, C. P. (2007). Clearing the Air: The Health and Economic Damages of Air Pollution in China. MIT Press Managi, S. & Kaneko, S.(2010). Chinese Economic Development and the Environment. New Horizons in Environmental Economics Series. Edward Elgar Publishing Marks, R. B. (2011). China: Its Environment and History. World Social Change. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Palo, M. & Vanhanen, H. (2012). World Forests from Deforestation to Transition? Volume 2 of World Forests. Springer Science & Business Media Shapiro, J. (2012). China's Environmental Challenges. Volume 3 of China Today. Polity Yan, Z. & Liu, Z. (2015). Toxic Pollutants in China: The Study of Water Quality Criteria Springer Briefs in Environmental Science. Springer Read More