Modern Issues of China's Environment
Monday, December 20, 2010
Week 9: Urbanization and Consumption
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Week 7: Water Resources
Week 4: China's International Relations and Environmental Partnerships
- China's relationship with the US - overview (Cecilia)
- China-US environmental cooperation (Cecilia)
- China's energy security (Cecilia)
- The concept of "Harmonious World" - Hu Jintao's vision for international diplomacy (Devon)
- China's relations with Africa and Latin America (Devon)
- EU-China environmental cooperation (Devon)
Friday, December 17, 2010
Week 11: NGOs
This week we talked about NGOs and civil society in China. While Harmony focused on the facts (for instance, she presented a timeline of the development of NGOs in China), I concentrated on the more abstract, theoretical aspects of the topic.
China is still in the process of reforming and opening up, and while civil society, as evidenced by growth in NGOs over time, has grown in size, the semi-authoritarian context of China limits the way in which civil society, specifically NGOs, can grow. As Harmony mentions below, though in the West NGOs are often conceived of as organizations that keep the government in check or protect civilian rights, in China, they are often conceived of as government “helpers” – in order to even exist in China, many NGOs (especially environmental NGOs) spin themselves as working in the interests of the government. Essentially, Chinese NGOs occupy a unique – or as some authors phrase it, an “embedded” – space within China. They pick up where the government is able to acknowledge it left off, but if they overstep the bounds for action implicitly set by government too much, they are in danger of being shut down or otherwise affected/reprimanded. The lines between government and NGOs thus blur somewhat in China: not surprisingly, the country has many Government-Organized Non-Governmental Organizations (GONGOs) operating within its borders. Is this necessarily a “bad” thing? We often think that NGOs entirely free from (the control, but also the help of) government work best, or that grassroots social change is an absolute essential. But are these notions in any way ethnocentric? Is the Western way NGOs are organized the way NGOs and civil society should be organized everywhere? Could/are NGOs in China as they exist now be as effective as NGOs in other, more open parts of the world? We asked these questions and others, and came up with mixed answers.
The issue of NGOs in China has many fascinating details, but something particularly helpful about examining it was that it crosses paths with many of the subjects we studied earlier in the course. Some of the features of Chinese environmental NGOs discussed above emerge partially because of aspects of China/the Chinese government we learned about throughout the semester. For instance, the decentralization but continued power of government in China we studied in the first weeks of class leads to a situation in which a) citizens have an increasing ability to act if they stay within the lines of Party rhetoric, and b) local government does not always follow through on environmental laws or policy laid out by central government. These effects intersect in such a way that groups of citizens are “allowed” to, can criticize local government officials or the job they’re doing without technically criticizing central government, if they’re careful about the way they word their complaints or go about their campaigns for more effective environmental regulation, better conservation, etc.
Week 11: NGOs
Week 11: NGOs
Our final week of formal class addressed the topic of civil society and NGOs and how these might play into potential solutions. We frequently broached the topic for this week throughout the semester when we had discussed some of the current quandaries and were casting about for hope in the future. Viewed through Western eyes, NGOs and civil society organizations often appear to offer a solution to government and corporate tyranny, destruction of common goods, and oppression of human rights. However, despite the many systems that China (and other developing countries) have imported from the West, functions delegated to civil society remain unique in modern China. China is, after all, still tied to historic roots of authoritarian rule through just a few short decades.
In class, we highlighted the growth and development of social organizations in China, the regulations imposed on them and how these regulations are enforced and the functions that common social organizations can fulfill. International NGOs have a slightly different relationship with the Chinese government that is in some ways similar, yet also separate from the domestic NGOs. Taken together, however, both domestic and international NGOs have risen in popularity dramatically in the last few decades. Common ways to quantify NGO growth have been somewhat frustrated by the quasi-legality of many organizations. Although it is possible to register with the state (under the regulation of a body call MoCA, Ministry of Civil Affairs), many organizations choose not to for various reasons. Additionally, membership with NGOs is rarely recorded – given the tumultuous history between NGOs and the Chinese government, many Chinese citizens shy away from official membership (and NGOs may not seek it).
Specifically related to our class, we found that environmentally-focused NGOs are prominent and so are actions from civil society relating to environmental issues. Many long-standing and “famous” NGOs in China focus directly on environmental conservation, education and activism. Other social movements related to specific environmental issues are common. Overall, it is a sector of large overlap.
Unfortunately, the most difficult and uncertain questions relate to the effectiveness of environmentally oriented NGOs. Are they actually improving the situation? Kayla and I went on to address this question further for our final poster presentation and were frustrated by our inability to come up with a concrete answer. At the present moment, we believe that NGOs are starting to be acknowledged and have tangible impacts on the environmental issues that they lobby for, however, it is still too early to declare these positive changes. Yet there is no doubt in my mind that this will definitely be one of the areas of China’s future development to keep an eye on and to better understand.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Week 6: Agriculture and Food Security
中國人將來能不能吃得飽? With China’s ever-growing population that has placed strain on the world market for grain, this question, which roughly translates to “In the future, will the Chinese people be able to fill their stomachs?” has become increasingly important. This week, we covered China’s agricultural system, its environmental effects, and China’s future food security, and focused on China’s standards for its equivalent of “organic” and discussed a few different scenarios that modeled different paths for China’s future food situation.
The Chinagro simulation model simulates the economics of agriculture for various scenarios in 2010, 2020, and 2030. There was the baseline scenario, which was formulated based on China’s current market behavior and economics of agriculture. This scenario modeled a sustained growth of service and industry sectors, and a high yield of domestic grain, fruit and vegetables. There would be significant importation of livestock feed and meat, however, making consumption of meat in China very sensitive to any changes in market prices. This model is also characterized by the income disparity between agricultural and non-agricultural sectors. The next model, the “business-as-usual” model, is based on the assumption that in the years to come, China’s economy will be depend even more heavily upon, and be driven by consumer demand. Here, China would produce more livestock domestically, and people would correspondingly eat more meat due to lower prices. However, land for growing livestock feed would be reduced, and thus China would depend heavily on the world market for feed. In order to reduce the cost of transport, the livestock would have to be located close to harbors, which is also where the large city centers in China are located. The proximity of livestock to urban centers causes severe health risks to the people who live these areas due to increased transmission of disease between animals and humans. The third model is based on the assumption that China will adopt some practices for sustainable living, and would be willing to trade some economic efficiency for environmental sustainability. There would be specific constraints placed on various risk factors, such as how close livestock is allowed to be to city centers by balancing the health effects with the environmental effects of fuel usage. The bottom line here is that not all regions can be protected from associated risks of proximity to livestock, but that overall, this model is the most sustainable. Hopefully, China will recognize that its current obsession with increasing economic efficiency is taking its toll on the environment, and is not a sustainable form of growth for future generations. Sustainable practices must be adopted.
Week 10: Environmental Health
Other air pollutants, such as NOx and SO2, contribute directly towards acid rain, whose devastating effects on forests and bodies of water are well-known. This week however, we also studied the lesser known health impacts of acid rain. Acid rain contributes to the buildup of mercury in fish, by favoring the ionic form of mercury in acidic water. Mercury ions can be converted into methylmercury by certain bacteria, and methylmercury is much more lipophilic and able to pass through body membranes than mercury. Acid rain also causes increased leaching of metals, including toxic heavy metals into waterways where people are more likely to be exposed to them. Cadmium in particular is dangerous because it can be taken up by crops, especially dark leafy greens and tobacco, which poses health hazards to the people who consume these goods.
In the face of such devastating environmental consequences, it is difficult to see how this situation can be reversed. However, there is a bright side: many technological changes have occurred that are not reflected in the current data, and motions have been made for China to increase the stringency of their emissions standards. Using a combined technological and policy-based approach, China has the potential to enjoy fresh air, clean water, and blue skies once more.