1. Major Eastern Religions
India
Majority: Hinduism
80% of India’s population is Hindu
Muslims live mainly in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and North India
Religion influences language in South Asia
Sikhism is a blend of Hinduism and Islam
China
Majority: Buddhism
teaches that human suffering is caused by selfishness or the desire for things.
Founder Siddhartha came to be called the “Buddha,” or Enlightened One. Buddhists also believe in reincarnation.
Confucianism: a philosophy…family, responsibility, & learning.
Daoism: Laozi-calmly accept fate.
Japan
Majority: Non-Religious
Shinto - belief in kami, or spirits
Buddhist - believe that suffering is caused by selfishness
Confucian - belief system that emphasizes the importance of honoring one’s parents, of being honest, respecting others, working hard and acquiring learning

2. China’s Environmental Issues Exacerbated by Population Density
Air pollution: Industry w/ inadequate regulation.
Land Degradation: This is due to drought, overgrazing, incorrect use of ground water, and logging
Includes:
Cropland losses
Desertification:Disappearing wetlands
Grassland degradation
Soil erosion
Overgrazing
Salinization
Water pollution and shortage: again…industry.
Freshwater
Groundwater depletion
Oceans
Loss of biodiversity – increase in invasive species
Environmental degradation did not start with the acceleration of economic growth in late 1970s. It started after the second world war and civil war when development intensified leading to more deforestation, overgrazing and erosion.
Great leap forward saw a dramatic increase in number of factories. Fourfold increase in alone leading to more deforestation to fuel backyard steel productions.
1960s to 70s pollution grew as many factories were moved to the interior as the coast was considered militarily vulnerable
Since economic reform in 1978 environmental degradation continued to accelerate due to rapid industrialization among them Township Village Enterprises with an average of 6 employees. They accounted for up to a third of Chinese production and half its export but contributed disproportionately to pollution
While total ecological footprint (a measure or human natural resource consumption and waste output) is the second highest in the world (after the United States) the per capita footprint is below world average.
Increasing scale and frequency of human-induced natural disasters:
Mud-slides
Flooding
These and other environmental problems are causing: economic losses
social conflicts
health problems

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4. India 2.4 percent of the world's land---16 percent of the world's population
Overuse of India's once abundant forests = desertification, contamination, and soil depletion
Water
Availability of safe drinking water
Industrial Effluents, BOD, COD, Fec. Coliform, Metals, Pests., Herbs.
Untreated sewage. Rivers such as the Ganges, the Yamuna and Kaveri rivers, all flowing through highly populated areas, are heavily polluted.
Air
Fuelwood and biomass burning: primary reason for near-permanent haze and smoke observed above rural and urban India.
Used for cooking and heating.
Lax emissions standards and high traffic density.
Greenhouse gas emissions and particulates from combustion.

5. Japan
More environmentally “responsible” than many of its continent-mates.
The Fukushima Dai Ichi nuclear reactor issue from the tsunami in 2011 is still a major issue.
Japan has been irresponsible with regard to the world fishery and whaling.