Pollution In China
...has been increased pollution and ruin of natural resources. A 1998 World Health Organization report on air quality in 272 cities worldwide reported that that seven of the world's 10 most polluted cities were in China (China: Environmental Issues). Industrialization in the Pearl River Delta has also contributed to worsening air pollution in Hong Kong. The Xinhua News Agency has quoted an environmental official, Wang Jinnan, as saying that more than 410,000 Chinese die as a result of pollution each year (Lynch).
China's increasingly polluted environment is largely a result of the country's hurried development causing a large increase in energy consumption, which is almost entirely produced by burning coal. China has pursued an economic model which emphasizes exports, so they have been increasing manufacturing capacity as much as possible. Without any significant ecological or pollution controls to reduce emissions, the damage to the environment has been unchecked (Ma).
The People's Republic of China's leaders are beginning to pay attention to the country's severe environmental problems. In March 1998, the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) was officially upgraded to a ministry-level agency, showing the growing importance the government places on environmental protection. Recently, the PRC has begun to improve its legislation concerning the environment and made some progress in holding off environmental problems. The PRC put more than one percent of its Gross Domestic Product in environmental protection, and that percentage is likely to increase in the future (Ma). Beijing, in particular, is investing heavily in pollution control as part of its effort to host the Olympics in 2008.
Air pollution
In reference to the air quality in Beijing, Hai Zhao, who visits family there every year, says "Each time I go back, it gets a little worse....
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