World Watch: In China, a filthy growth
On public health:
One of the things that most concerns the Chinese government at this point is the impact of pollution and environmental degradation on the Chinese people. First, there is the issue of public health. The World Bank estimates that 300,000 people in China die prematurely every year from respiratory disease related to air pollution. There are thousands of villages and towns along China's seven major river systems where the incidence of cancer and tumors, stunted growth, spontaneous abortion, diminished IQs [is] much higher than the norm because of the water pollution, because the soil is polluted and contaminated from heavy metals, for example. The second [issue] is migration. Chinese and western analysts estimate between 30 and 40 million people in China are going to have to migrate between 2000 and 2020 just because of environmental reasons. Finally, the environment is very often a source of unrest in the country. Over the past year, we've seen many violent demonstrations because of polluting factories or failure to compensate people.
On a possible solution:
The Chinese government knows what needs to be done. It comes down to two things: One is strengthening the environmental enforcement bureaucracy, training the people properly, funding them, and putting into place the appropriate incentives to make it worth it for people to do the right thing. The other, [which] is far more challenging for the Chinese government, has to do with reform of the Chinese political system and bringing transparency and openness to environmental protection in the country. If they don't make progress, they are quite concerned about the potential for major social upheaval.
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