From http://www.dosedu.com/uploadfiles/2009/3/10010701111648.htm
Some people in developed countries
have been criticizing China's environment pollution problem for quite a
while and their views reflect a mix of glee over others' misfortune,
derision and well-meant advice. Pollution used to be a typical internal
issue of individual countries as it affects only people within a
certain area, but China's pollution has become a major factor with its
growing impact on the country's international image as people's
understanding of environmental issues deepens, foreign media coverage
expands and as global warming worsens while concerns about the future
of our planet grow.
Environmental deterioration in
some parts of China has led to progressive loss of topsoil and fast
desertification, which has alarmed some neighboring nations.
We have made tremendous efforts in
recent years to upgrade our technology and many industries have
improved their energy efficiency markedly, but in general our economy
is still way behind member-states of the Organization of Economic
Cooperation and Development in terms of energy efficiency.
Mounting carbon dioxide emission
has been seen as a key contributor to global warming in recent years.
Some people elsewhere are now pointing their fingers at China when they
express their frustration over global warming.
We should take a serious look at
China's environmental pollution through the lens of international
scrutiny and try to fix whatever loopholes in our development strategy
while building up an environmental protection brand for ourselves.
Needless to say environmental
pollution is holding China's economic development back. Investigations
by environmental protection agencies have revealed the country counted
511.8 billion yuan ($74.8 billion) in economic losses to environmental
pollution in 2004, setting that year's GDP back by 3.05 percent.
China's worsening environmental
pollution is linked to the fact that the country is in the process of
industrialization and to its involvement in globalization. In the
process of globalization, enterprises of developed countries are moving
their production toward the high end of the value chain while
relocating the less-sophisticated operations to developing nations,
especially China. This trend helps those companies secure their profit
while providing the developing countries with jobs and market.
As a result of this relocation
China has taken over the production of many products that developed
countries no longer want to make but which are still in demand around
the world, such as heavy chemical and heavy industry products. Such
production is energy-consuming and generates more pollutants than
others. As such, China in a way has made undeniable contribution to and
sacrifices for the developed countries' efforts to maintain their high
living standard as well as the growing world economy.
Some cross-national corporations based in developed countries took note
of this predicament and began investing in China's pollution treatment
sector. Many developed countries have realized environmental protection
products have great market potential in China and seizing a bigger
share of this market should go a long way in securing future
profitability for enterprises in the green trade.
European and especially the Nordic
countries are the first to take hold of the notion. They have the
advanced technology needed in this industry and their investment banks
are very active in providing loans to environmental protection projects
on favorable terms, helping European enterprises to become the
frontrunners in China's green industry development.
Against this backdrop China has no
reason not to be more proactive in advancing this cause. In the early
years of the country's reform and opening-up drive, our government
implemented a series of favorable policies for foreign investment in
our industries and let in a large number of enterprises specializing in
processing, which contributed a great deal to the development of our
export-oriented processing industry.
Today, as we are faced with the
problem of deteriorating eco-environment, boosting environmental
protection should offer us another opportunity to expand related
international cooperation and introduce advanced technology and
equipment from developed countries to advance our environmental
protection industry and ultimately improve our environment.
On the greenhouse gas emission
front China has made a lot of efforts but remains the second largest
greenhouse gas emitter in the world. If China increases cooperation
with developed countries in this area it will not only help improve the
nation's eco-environment but reduce a major contributing factor to
global warming.
From a geopolitical point of view,
developed nations can help China raise energy efficiency, which should
reduce pollutant discharge and the need for China to seek more energy
resources on the international market. This in turn would make
energy-related geopolitical conflicts that developed countries worry
about less likely to happen. Developed countries helping China improve
the environment makes a great win-win deal.
Some futurologists predicted
before the turn of the century that environmental protection technology
will be second only to information and communications technology as far
as its future development prospect is concerned. By boosting the
environmental protection industry China can turn pollution treatment
into a profitable generator in its own right.
For example, garbage recycling has
proved a viable way to turn waste into profit. And talking about
garbage pollution, the most dangerous waste has to be radioactive
materials, but France has made nuclear waste treatment a highly
profitable industry. It formed a company specializing in processing
radioactive waste produced by nuclear power plants and developed a set
of advanced technology to treat and manage nuclear waste.
With this capability France has
made profit from helping disadvantaged countries such as Germany and
Japan process their nuclear waste. France's experience shows treating
garbage would not add to pollution if you have the right means to do it
the right way.
Using specialized processes to
treat garbage and properly dispose of the untreatable materials should
not necessarily increase pollution in our country. The Chinese economy
is growing fast and needs enormous amount of raw materials. It would be
a great contribution to the whole world if we pursue the full-circle
economy by recycling wastes as much as possible.
When our environmental protection
industry grows into a special comparative advantage and is even able to
help other countries "digest" some of their wastes, the international
community would find China is not only supplying the world market with
numerous inexpensive products but also solving the pollution caused by
waste. That is what a responsible major power should be doing.
The author is a researcher with the Development Research Center of the State Council
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