Copyright © 2015 University of Maryland. This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from Ross Salawitch. 1 HONR 229L: Climate Change: Science, Economics, and Governance China, The Lurching Giant Your name here 21 September 2015

Copyright © 2015 University of Maryland. This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from Ross Salawitch. 2 Describe the geography and diverse habitat of China, and relate the geography and diverse habitat of China to the themes of Diamond's book Be sure to note the contrasting role of forest cover and deforestation in China to that of the other societies addressed in the book

Copyright © 2015 University of Maryland. This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from Ross Salawitch. 3 It is widely known that the government of China has implemented rather strict measures to limit population growth. Less widely known is the evolution of the China’s households during the time of low population growth. Describe the evolution of China’s households and the impact on society and the environment.

Copyright © 2015 University of Maryland. This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from Ross Salawitch. 4 Diamond quotes impressive statistics on the scale and growth of China’s economy. But behind this growth lurks the fact that much of it is based on ____ First, fill in the blank Then expound on this “fact”: i.e., describe the potential impacts of China’s rise to First World standards Please use the terms “energy efficiency” in your reply. And, relate what Diamond states about China's economic growth to the themes of this class

Copyright © 2015 University of Maryland. This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from Ross Salawitch. 5 Using the material in the book as a starting point, and supplementing based on your own short internet-based research, briefly summarize some promising signs emerging from China during its rapid growth phase.

Copyright © 2015 University of Maryland. This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from Ross Salawitch. 6 The last three sentences of this chapter are: Because of China’s size and its unique form of government, top-down decision- making has operated on a far larger scale there than anywhere else…. My best-case scenario for the future is that China’s government will recognize that its environmental problems pose an even graver threat that did its problem of population growth. It may then conclude that China’s interests require environmental policies as bold, and as effectively carried out, as its family planning policies. Prepare a slide that includes these sentences (can of course use the exact material written above) to facilitate a discussion as to whether, or not, China’s growth can indeed be addressed successfully, from an environmental point of view, using a top-down approach to decision making.

Copyright © 2015 University of Maryland. This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from Ross Salawitch. 7

Copyright © 2015 University of Maryland. This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from Ross Salawitch. 8

Copyright © 2015 University of Maryland. This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from Ross Salawitch. 9

Copyright © 2015 University of Maryland. This material may not be reproduced or redistributed, in whole or in part, without written permission from Ross Salawitch. 10