China: Economic Miracle, Environmental Disaster
October 28, 2008 · Print This Article
China’s economy has been on the upswing for decades now, and it’s expected to continue growing at an extremely rapid pace for many more decades into the future. As more of the country’s population has begun to enjoy better standards of living and China’s esteem has raised in the eyes of the world, however, there was a price to pay. China’s economic miracle has come at the expense of the environment, and it’s only going to get worse going forward.
From CNN:
At home, the Chinese people watch as environmental degradation and pollution transform their landscape, and in the process endanger their health and future livelihoods.
No one is exempt from the environmental consequences of China’s brand of unfettered economic development, but as Stephen Voss’ pictures so heartbreakingly illuminate, China’s poorest are particularly vulnerable.
In China’s cities, merely walking out the front door results in an immediate assault on the senses. The Chinese people complain most often about noise pollution. A cacophony of construction booms and car horns is a permanent fixture of life. The sky is often blanketed in a thick gray haze of pollutants.
The culprits are the ever-present coal-fired power plants and giant heavy-industry complexes that fuel the country’s growth, and more and more the noxious emissions of automobiles.
The environmental toll is enormous. China has five of the world’s 10 most polluted cities, and on an average day in China’s major cities, 75 percent of the residents are breathing unclean air. The end result: 750,000 Chinese die prematurely every year from air pollution-related respiratory diseases.
China is following the example of the West, where we have enjoyed such luxuries as private cars, air conditioning and carbon-intensive leisure activities. China’s people certainly deserve a better way of life than what they’ve been given, but all of these advances are putting a huge strain not only on the earth, but on their own health as well.
Chinese officials have yet to tackle even the most basic of needs, like clean water. Among over 660 cities in China, only one small city – Lianyuan – can claim to provide clean drinking water straight from the tap.
Although the middle class in China is growing, the poor people have it worse than ever, dealing with poisoned water and air, sick children and ruined crops. A slideshow of photos by photographer Stephen Voss gives a heartbreaking look into what these people really have to deal with.
As China’s economy continues to improve, it’s doubtful that there will be any real incentive to protect the environment. We can only hope that clean, renewable energy gets implemented as quickly as possible so we don’t see the rest of the world’s efforts erased by the dirty deeds of the Chinese government.
Link [CNN]
Photo credit: Stephen Voss/CNN
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Interesting article and some provocative pictures.
Isn’t it slightly hypocritical though to make such statements about China without mentioning that North American demand is one of the reasons for China’s growth, and that our own environmental track record isn’t exactly stellar either?
Hi Carl. This was just a quick post going over CNN’s photo essay - we’ve covered China’s environmental problems and the West’s influence on them extensively in the past. You might want to check out these two articles:
http://earthfirst.com/china-cleans-up-for-olympics-but-citizens-still-suffer/
http://earthfirst.com/china%E2%80%99s-down-to-12-days-worth-of-coal-and-counting-%E2%80%93-what-does-it-mean-to-us/