Introduction
Today, China is facing a harsh environmental degradation mainly due to population explosion and economic development. The country was not concerned about the protection and development of the environment while it was forging ahead with rapid economic growth. Fast economic development of this country has led to an increase in pollution because of many factories, industries and vehicles emitting smoke which is contaminating the air. The waste chemicals from factories contaminate the water which leads to many health problems for the people. Chemical plant explosions and chemical plants near the river banks also lead to the death of many people. These factories produce certain substances like plastic which affects the environment. These environmental pollution not only destruct our atmosphere but various diseases are caused to the people. Most polluted cities are now in China. Pollution reduces the ozone layer which might produce harmful ultraviolet rays which are radiated to the earth thereby causing skin burn, skin cancer, exhaustion etc to human beings and most of the people in China are affected by these diseases.
Elements of pollution in Chinese context
As the population is steadily increasing, pollution is also mounting along with that. When the population increases, the number of buildings also increases. The people destroy trees and fields to construct buildings which cause soil erosion and decrease in rain and so on. These pollutions occur mainly due to the destructive nature of humans. They do not keep the environment clean and they do not give any importance to the nature. The human beings just want to fulfill their present requirements from the nature. Without thinking about the future needs, they destroy nature for their current needs. Environmental pollution in China has extended to other countries also. Environmental pollution is becoming a severe problem in China because the increased population and rapid economic development of the country need the basic and natural resources, and day by day people are destructing the natural resources for their survival. This destruction causes many natural calamites like flood, earthquake, storm etc which are causing great losses in China. So, in order to make China a pollution-free country, the government, public and others offered many practical laws and methods for protecting the environment.
“Accordingly, an approach that incorporates both public participation and public interest litigation, similar to the qui tam system used in the United States may prove especially effective in bolstering Chinese environmental protection” (Christine, 2008, para.2).The aim is to take the economic development and environmental protection together and empowering the government to take legal action against environmental destruction. China’s economic miracle has bloomed tremendously in the last two decades, but with skyrocketing rates of environmental disaster, causing air and water pollutions, severe land degradation and increasing resource scarcity. China also faces social, political and economic challenges. The torrid economic growth and the steep rise in China’s population are the main factors leading to environmental degradation, affecting the whole world. Sixteen of the world’s twenty most polluted cities are in China and that is an astonishing fact. Environmental degradation can deepen social divisions too. Today, China’s economy has bloomed tremendously, but at the same time, its environmental degradation has tripled, affecting not only that country, but other countries as well, with air and water pollution. There is also the problem of water scarcity. There is shortage of drinking water in most of the urban areas, as the seas and rivers are polluted. “Scale and scope of pollution far outpaces what occurred in the United States and Europe” (Zissis, & Bajoria, 2008).
Conclusion
China’s major environmental challenges are water, land, greenhouse gases, population and development. Some seventy percent of the country’s rivers and lakes are polluted and environmental accidents like chemical plant explosions left millions stranded without access to fresh drinking water for days and months.
Reference
Christine, J L. (2008). “Pollute first. Control later” no more: combating environmental degradation in China through an approach based in public interest litigation and public participation. BNET. 2009. Web.
Zissis, C., & Bajoria, J. (2008). China’s environmental crisis: What has China’s economic boom done to the environment. Council on Foreign Relations. 2009. Web.