Environment degradation in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Environment degradation in China - Essay ExampleChina has faced an enduring and signally quick economic development since its liberalization in 1978. Despite the fact that having considerably improved the lifestyle of the large part of the population, the economic progress has resulted in severe environmental predicaments, such as widespread water and air pollution, solid waste accumulation, high air pollution and water scarcity in urban areas. The situation of the environment is still deteriorating and posing, in several areas, problems to economic development.Between 1980 and 1993 urban water use soared by 350 % and industrial consumption doubly over the period (World Bank, 2001)1. Demand for water has been growing at the time when several regions of China faced water scarcity, major water pollution, and reduced groundwater tables in any event flood and famine damage.These factors have deteriorated the deficiency of water resources, augmented costs of water purification, and in c ases where suitable infrastructure has not been present, endangered the safety of crapulence water, consequently the health of the population. They also had critical impacts on the safety of industrial and agricultural manufacture and led to losses in fishing business. It is expected that the periodical economic loss from water pollution in China reaches 1.5-3 % of GDP, having more major impact than floods and famine (Chinese Academy of Engineering, 2000)2.These issues are especially severe in northern China and in the catchments of the three rivers namely Huai, Hai and Huang. These three catchments comprise around 35 % of total GDP and include the economically and politically live Beijing-Tianjin region.Yet the major causes of water pollution are industrial wastewater grow, raw municipal sewage discharge and non-point pollution from agriculture. Of late, non-point water pollution, which emanates from fertilizer and pesticide overspill, and release from intensive animal producti on businesses, is becoming critical and can be expected to rise even further.Quality of Surface and Coastal Water & GroundwaterThe chemic and organic quality of the surface water is normally low. The main pollutants are raw material from domestic and industrial sources, industrial hydrocarbons, light lubricating oil, plant nutrients and fundamental metals. Bacteriological pollution is