Sustainability - Part III, China’s Top Water Issues
March 6th, 2007
As a follow up to our sustainability session with Lahey, Jencks, et al., I thought this PBS interactive map was done well enought and was important enough to list as a seperate post. This interactive map will give you a feel for the water issues that China must come to terms with in the coming decades. Be sure to click on the boxes with each item to learn more.
Huge population, huge country, limited resources, seemingly intractable water issues and problems to solve — sheesh, and I thought my job was hard.
Your thoughts?
3 Comments Add your own
1. Steven Rodger | March 6th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
According to the Chinese government, environmental pollution cost China US$64 billion in economic losses in 2004. This means that environmental degradation and pollution cost the Chinese economy the equivalent of 8-12 percent of GDP annually. With expected rises in China’s population (despite the one-child per person law), these problems are only expected to get worse. China’s growth is only causing additional shortages of their PBS water. The government should look towards sustainable development programs to help alleviate their countries severe desertification, droughts, and marine pollution. In a nutshell, China does not have enough water to support the exponential economic growth it aspires to.
Water and waste pollution is the number one immediate problem facing China, according to hydrologists and government officers. Rural and poor farmers are the people suffering the most. So what is the solution?
Raising water prices would cause some to conserve water, but prices are already high enough to make rural farm workers conserve. Currently billions are being invested in sewage treatment plants, which will help to treat foul H20. Additionally, China is looking for foreign solutions to solve their water crisis. There will not be one solution to this immense problem. Rather many small scale solutions will ultimately help to alleviate China’s water crisis. Moreover, there comes an immense business opportunity attached to their water solution.
2. Peter Thelen | March 6th, 2007 at 6:11 pm
Those facts about China’s sewage dilemma are disturbing, as was the accompanying photograph. Only 23 percent of China’s sewage was treated in 2006? I can only imagine the damage this is causing. However, I am happy to see that the Chinese government has some ambitious goals for revamping the sewage treatment systems in the next few years. The entire country will be on display in a little over a year for the Summer Olympics, so this improvement is a wise choice from a public relations perspective.
3. Katie Hofman | March 7th, 2007 at 6:03 pm
What a great map! It really illustrated the importance of building in sustainability and environmentally sound practices right from the beginning. While I know it happens, I find it difficult to hear about governments and businesses turning a blind eye on pollution simply to save money or boost profits. To quote Al Gore at the Oscars, this is “not a political issue, it’s a moral issue.” There are certain things that cannot take a backseat to profits and numbers.
I am hopeful that the Chinese government is realizing this. Their plans to crack down on environmental issues and to attempt to reverse some of the damage that their rapid industrialization has caused is not only good P.R. but it is best for the citizens, the country and the world.
I do not blame the government, business or the Chinese people for what has happened to their country, for instance the decrease in usable water and the deforestation. I think that it is the natural result of a quick push to grow economically without thought to longterm consequences. This happens to many countries when they shift from rural and farming enterprises to industrial ones. I think there is such an eye on China now because the man-made changes to nature are so noticeable and it is happening at a time when the whole world is starting to think about the human impact on the earth.
I look forward to seeing what Chinese government does in the upcoming years in this regard. I liked the part of the map that talked about the changes that small things could have overall, like controlling the water use up the Yellow River in order to have more left for the more fertile southern parts. Awareness and policies that readjust the usage of resources will make a difference. But, there is a lot of damage to reverse and many citizens who need the resources, so it will be an uphill climb for awhile. The first step is always acceptance, though, and it seems like the Chinese are finally taking that step. Let’s see what they do with it from there!
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