Urbanization in China: The Environmental Consequences Dawn Shovein & Sarah Caughey, Section 6 (Dover-Sherborn/Hangzhou China Exchange Program. Spring 2005 Itinerary.

Our Question & Hypothesis What have been the environmental impacts on air and water due to the rapid urbanization that had occurred in China during the past quarter-century? We hypothesized that China’s air and water has been greatly polluted by the rapid urbanization that has occurred.

Outline History Migration Industrial Development Urbanization Air pollution Lack of Industrial Controls Coal Car Emissions Water pollution Concluding Thoughts

History During the 80s, the communist leaders of China, led by Ping, declared that it was okay to seek wealth. Private businesses began to really grow in the country during this decade. People continued to migrate to urban centers as business continued to grow in China

Migration One hundred million people migrated to China’s large cities from areas that are more rural within the past twenty years (China Revs Up 2004) “Past experiences in Western countries show that a city of 3 million people usually takes about 100 years to grow to 10 million. But Shenzhen, a 30-year-old city, made this jump in only a decade” (Asia Africa Intelligence Wire 2005).

Industrial Development The nation’s leaders did not impose any pollution controls, though, which might impede growth (China Revs Up 2004) Pan Yue, of the China Environmental Protection Agency, explains, “During the last two decades we were monomaniacal in our pursuit of development. That twisted policy put growth ahead of all else and caused us to neglect many other problems, like infrastructure, energy policy and the environment” (China Revs Up 2004)

Urbanization Although China has recently experienced incredible urban expansion, many people suggest that the urbanization in China’s cities is not sustainable (Shi and Tu 2006). The pace of urbanization is forcing the country to use more oil and natural gas and has created a country hungry for electricity, which in turn effects the global environment, as well as China’s local environment (Zweig and Jianhai 2005).

A picture of downtown Hangzhou, China hazy with smog (Skiba, Tom. Smog in downtown Hangzhou China,

Air Pollution Now nine out of the ten cities said to have the most serious air pollution in the world are located in China (Schmidt 2002). Urban haze fills the air with the appearance of fog. Ding Yihui, of the China National Climate Center, explains “This smog is mainly smoke though, not fog which would be comprised of water vapor. In the large cities of China, substances such as lead, sulfur, carbon monoxide and tiny particles of dust are in the air. Respiratory diseases cause ten times as many fatalities as in the United States. Statistics in this slide are from China Revs Up 2004 unless otherwise labeled.

China has the most deaths from urban air pollution in the world. (Worldwatch Institute. Coal, China, and India: A Deadly Combination for Air Pollution?,

Lack of Industrial Controls Great economic development during the 1980s led to increased pollution. Demand has risen over time in China and industries have met this with increased output. They have not added any controls to the air released from smokestacks, though. By 2020, China’s carbon dioxide emissions will surpass the U.S., and the United States and China “would contribute more to global warming than all other nations combined.” Statistics in this slide are from China Revs Up 2004 unless otherwise labeled.

By 2020, China’s carbon dioxide emissions will surpass the U.S. (Worldwatch Institute. State of the World 2006: China and India Hold World in Balance.

Coal 70% of energy is from coal, used for electricity and forging steel. Most homes and businesses use coal. Coal is cheap and extremely dirty, releasing sulfur and other chemicals when burned. Some businesses in big cities have switched over to fossil fuels, but most still rely heavily on coal. Previously the government had claimed that the cost of solving the problem by building cleaner factories was too high. Governmental leaders are starting to order businesses to clean up, and some of the worst polluting factories to shut-down. Statistics in this slide are from China Revs Up 2004.

Bicycles once filled the streets of China (Wayne, J. Pen. Go Go Speed Racer. /words3.htm) /words3.htm Cars are now taking over the roads (Engler, Yves & Mugyenyi Bianca. China’s Cars on Road to Ruin.

Car Emissions Huge shift recently towards driving cars and in some areas of the cities, bicycles are no longer allowed (Global Refining 2004). Most cars built by foreign companies, because leaders wanted foreign investors. Cars sold in China have much older equipment to control emissions than cars sold in Europe or the United States Emissions standards in China are much lower than in Europe and the U.S. Statistics in this slide are from China Revs Up 2004 unless otherwise labeled.

Migrant worker, shoveling extremely polluted water and mud from a nearly dried river. (Johnson,Tim. China's Environmental Woes are so Large They've Begun to Generate Social Instability.

Water Pollution Substances such as cadmium, lead, DDT, coliform bacteria, and arsenic have been found in the rivers (Some Polluted Outlets… 2004). “The decline in water conditions across China is directly related to China's population growth, strong economic growth, and uncontrolled urbanization and semiurbanization” (Karasov 2002). In 1996, governmental officials in the country reported that 40% of the sections of the Huang and Yangtze rivers near major cities did not even fulfill the minimum standards of water quality (Environmental Health Perspectives 2002).

Water Shortage & Pollution Hard to meet the water needs of the rising population, especially when such large numbers of people are concentrated in the cities, further straining water supplies. “This water shortage prevents the river from flushing its heavy load of pollutants into the Yellow Sea. At the same time, the quantity of wastewater dumped into the river from nonindustry sources has increased, resulting in ever-deteriorating conditions” (Karasov 2002). Some areas are categorized as not even fit to be touched by people (Karasov 2002).

Review As we hypothesized, we found that China’s air and water has been greatly polluted by the rapid urbanization that has occurred in the past twenty years. Air pollution: smog, homes and industries burn coal for energy, cars release poisonous emissions; little or no pollution controls. Water pollution: rivers polluted, water shortage keep pollutants from flushing out of rivers, some areas not even safe for people to touch.

Concluding Thoughts China’s industries will soon surpass the pollution levels of the United States. Seven out of ten of the most polluted cities in the world are found in China, according the U.N. Dan Jaffe, professor of atmospheric chemistry, found that the air coming over the Pacific holds industrial pollutants such as mercury, sulfur, D.D.T., and P.C.B.s (China Revs Up 2004)

Concluding Thoughts People across the planet need to work to lessen pollution where they are, as well. Jaffe warned, “The United States has set the standard for high living, high energy use. We're one of the most consumptive countries in the world, and if the rest of the world emulates us, the global atmosphere is going to suffer. The world is going to suffer” (China Revs Up 2004) The United States, and other countries around the world should clean up, too, so that the entire planet can be cleaner.