China: Growing Pollution, Problematic Treaties

September 2007
 

by Diana Hsu Schron
PCDS Sophomore

This article originally appeared in the August 16 edition of the Asian American Times.

Over the last 30 years or so, China has evolved from an agricultural economy to a highly industrialized society. Rapid industrial growth has created a large problem with pollution.

I have been to Beijing three times. My first time was in the summer of 2003, and the second time was in the summer of 2005. Most recently, I was in Beijing with the Arizona State University 2007 Summer Program, studying at the Renmin University of China. Each time I visited, I saw significant changes in the city’s environment, and the traffic has gotten considerably worse, with more cars and taxicabs on the roads. During my first two visits, there were some days with visible air pollution, but there were also some fairly clear days. This summer, the sky was just a gray haze. I also discovered that it was impossible to wear my contact lenses during the five weeks I spent in Beijing. Whenever I would try and wear them, I would feel a stinging sensation in my eyes. I have been wearing contacts for years, and I have never had that problem in any other city or place I have visited. I suspect that the polluted air was the cause of my problem with the contacts. My experience with the air pollution led me to conduct further research on this topic.

Air Pollution

A recent study conducted by senior scientist Jos G.J. Olivier of the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency confirmed that China has surpassed the United States as the top producer of carbon-dioxide emissions, which happened at a much faster rate than many experts had predicted. These facts were discussed at a press release on June 22, 2007, and were based on preliminary data estimates for 2006.[1]  China uses coal to produce two-thirds of its electrical energy. Producing electricity from coal is more damaging to the environment because of high carbon dioxide production. In 2006, China’s produced 6.2 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide. In contrast, the United States only produced one-half of its electricity from coal and released 5.8 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide into the environment.[2]  Since China is building so many new coal-using power plants, China’s total emissions are increasing at twice what is expected from all the world’s other industrialized economies combined.[3]  Orville Schell, the former dean of the UC Berkeley School of Journalism and now the director of the Center on U.S.-China Relations at the Asia Society in New York, said that “China is building an average of two coal-fired plants per week, almost all of which use out-of-date, high-emissions equipment rather than more expensive, clean-burning technologies.”[4]

Carbon dioxide is not the only significant pollutant released into the air. Methane from landfills and coal mines, nitrous oxide, man-made sulfates, industrial fumes, and carbon grits also contribute to China’s air pollution.[5]

The reason for China’s growing amount of toxic waste polluting the environment is the country’s rapid development and industrialization. According to analysts, China’s auto boom has already started. In 2005, there were 24 million vehicles on China’s roads. By 2020, that number is predicted to grow to 100 million. With increasing auto emissions from the growing number of cars, transportation will account for 60 percent of China’s need for energy, up from 33 percent in 2005.[6]

 In World Bank research (2004), it was discovered that 33 percent of urban dwellers breathe toxic air equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day.[7]  Respiratory and coronary diseases related to air pollution are among the main causes of death in China. It is estimated that up to 700,000 people will die prematurely each year from the effects of air pollution. These numbers were gathered from a World Bank report titled Cost of Pollution in China.[8]  When Chinese officials saw the report, they ordered removal of almost a third of the World Bank report’s findings on pollution including the shocking facts about premature deaths from pollution.

Water Pollution

China’s water quality is another great concern among researchers. 75 percent of the major lakes, one-third of the rivers, and 25 percent of the coastal waters are considered highly polluted. More than 17,000 towns in China do not have a working sewage system and, therefore, human waste from nearly one billion people is almost never collected or treated.[9]  China has to deal with the health problems that come with this degree of water pollution. Since almost half of China’s population, about 700 million people, drink water contaminated with animal and human waste, many people suffer from infectious diseases such as viral hepatitis and diarrheal diseases.

In November 2005, an incident occurred that revealed the severity of China’s problem with water pollution. This incident made international news. The Jilin Petrochemical Company spilled one hundred tons of toxic benzene into the Songhua River. The amount of the toxic nitrobenzene that was spilled created a 50-mile slick. The levels of benzene in the river were more than eight times what would be acceptable.[10]  The Chinese government did not immediately acknowledge the severity of the disaster, and there was no announcement that they had a problem. They did not verify that benzene had contaminated the Songhua River until ten days after the spill—just before the slick reached the nearby city of Harbin. Harbin, a city of 3.8 million people, relied completely on the river for drinking water. The city was left without clean water for five days, while 700 tons of bottled water had to be transported into the city. When the polluted water reached the Amur River in Russia, Russian officials were understandably upset. Russian officials complained that China had not immediately communicated to them about the spill and the possible health hazards.[11]  This example illustrates how polluted waterways in China can affect neighboring countries. Likewise, air pollution can have both regional and global effects.

Contribution to Worldwide Pollution

China’s air pollution not only affects the health of Chinese citizens and the quality of the local environment, but also it has far-reaching effects on the global environment. Large masses of polluted air travel across the Pacific Ocean and can even reach the West Coast of the United States. On certain days, almost a third of the pollution over the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco can be traced directly back to Asia.[12]

China’s carbon dioxide emissions are a major contributor to greenhouse gases that are causing global warming. In order to deal with the worldwide issue of global warming, the Kyoto Protocol was drafted in 1997 and later ratified in 2005. The main goal of the Kyoto Protocol is to control greenhouse gas production and prevent the climate-altering effects of pollution. In this agreement, countries are separated into the more developed Annex I states and the developing Annex II states. The Annex I states are required to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 2012 to 5 percent below their 1990 levels. The Annex II countries, however, are not forced to follow these rules. If the Annex I countries cannot decrease their emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, they can purchase credits from other Annex I or II countries.  They can also get credits by donating green technology to the developing Annex II countries.[13]

This agreement should help to reduce greenhouse gas. However, there are flaws in the Kyoto Protocol. Several Annex II developing countries are among the world’s greatest polluters. The two worst polluters are China and India. The Annex II countries are under no obligation to reduce their greenhouse gases. Therefore gains from Annex I countries are likely to be overshadowed by excessive pollution from Annex II countries (China, India). For these reasons, President Bush has refused to submit the treaty to the U.S. Senate for ratification. Instead, Washington is working on reducing the emissions from the United States and focusing on the Asia-Pacific Partnership that was formed in 2005. The United States’ efforts have produced some results. Carbon dioxide emissions from the U.S. have been reduced 1.4 percent from 2005.[14]

Although the United States believes China should be held to some standards on greenhouse gas emissions, Chinese government officials defend their position as an Annex II country and do not believe they should have to meet quotas or goals for greenhouse gas emissions. The Chinese officials claim that a lot of the greenhouse gases already in the atmosphere are from many decades of pollution from the United States and Europe. China was previously an agricultural country and has only recently had significant industry. The Chinese claim that any restriction on China would be a penalty for other countries’ pollution. Chinese government officials also argue that even though their total carbon dioxide emission rates are rising, their per capita emissions are still less than one quarter of those of the United States. The United States emits almost 42,500 pounds of carbon dioxide per person. In comparison, China, whose population is more than four times the United States at 1.3 billion, releases about 10,500 pounds per person.[15]

In summary, China has a major pollution problem and will be a major contributor to greenhouse gases and global warming in the future. The Chinese government has to begin taking responsibility for the harm they are doing to the environment. Chinese officials need to face these issues in an open forum and address these problems in an honest manner, warning the citizens of possible health hazards and proposing reasonable goals for reducing emissions and protecting the environment.[16]  With a change in attitude and culture, China can join the international fight to save planet Earth’s environment.

Notes:

1. Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, 2 August 2007, Netherlands, 1 August 2007 <http://www.mnp.nl/en/index.html>.
2. Audra Ang, “China overtakes U.S. as top CO2 emitter,” The Arizona Republic 20 July 2007: A14.
3. Robert Collier, “U.S. is pressured to help China curb emissions,” San Francisco Chronicle 5 July 2007: A1.
4. Robert Collier, “U.S. is pressured to help China curb emissions,” San Francisco Chronicle 5 July 2007: A1.
5. “China could overtake US as biggest emissions culprit by November,” Guardian Unlimited, ed. John Vidal, 25 April 2007, United Kingdom, 28 July 2007 <http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2064717,00.html>.
6. “China’s Wasteful Ways,” Business Week, Brian Bremner, 11 April 2005, Hong Kong, 2 August 2007 <http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/05_15/b3928070.htm>.
7. “Air Pollution in China,” Ren Lai Magazine, 卜諾佳, 27 November 2006, Taipei, 3 August 2007 <http://www.erenlai.com/index.php?aid=566>.
8. “China ‘buried smog death finding’,” BBC News, 3 July 2007, United Kingdom, 3 August 2007 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6265098.stm>. 
9. “Dust, waste and dirty water: the deadly price of China’s miracle,” Guardian Unlimited, ed. John Vidal, 18 July 2007, United Kingdom, 28 July 2007 <http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2128791,00.html>.
10. “China vows to punish any coverup of spill,” China Daily, 7 December 2005, Jiamusi, 29 July 2007 <http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-12/07/content_501304.htm>.
11. “China warns Russia of toxic slick,” CNN.com, 24 November 2005, Beijing, 29 July 2007 <http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/11/24/china.city/index.html>.
12. Robert Lee Hotz, “Huge Dust Plumes From China Cause Changes in Climate,” The Wall Street Journal 20 July 2007: B1.
13. “China’s challenge to the Kyoto Protocol,” China Environmental News Digest, Elizabeth Wishnick, 12 December 2006, 29 July 2007 <http://china-environmental-news.blogspot.com/2006/12/chinas-challenge-to-kyoto-protocol.html>. 
14. Robert Collier, “U.S. is pressured to help China curb emissions,” San Francisco Chronicle 5 July 2007: A1.
15. Audra Ang, “China overtakes U.S. as top CO2 emitter,” The Arizona Republic 20 July 2007: A14.
16. “Beijing censored pollution report,” Financial Times.com, Richard McGregorin, 3 July 2007, Beijing, 5 August 2007 <http://www.ft.com/cms/s/563054fc-28fe-11dc-af78-000b5df10621.html>.  

Pictured (top to bottom):
(1) Diana Schron, (2) & (3) Beijing scenes