Asia and the environment

Did anyone read yesterday’s LA Times article about China’s pollution? Industrial growth, modern development, and urban encroachment are leading to grassland and wetland degradation and desertification. According to this article, 1,000 NEW cars are driven EVERY DAY in Beijing alone. By the time Beijing hosts the Olympics in 2008, there may be up to 3.5 million motorists on the road! The ‘good’ news is that China seems wiling to acknowledge this problem. Pollution and negligence affects every corner of our world. We all share the same air, water, food, and even diseases. Awareness is the first step to recovery. I think that the US and China really have to make a concerted effort to curb the release of carbon dioxide, chemicals, toxins, and other nasty pollutants into the atmosphere. Also, I think a larger effort has to be made in the preservation of forests, marshlands, oceans, mountains, icebergs, and other natural habitats. China is not the only country turning this world into a toxic waste dump. The United States has been doing it for the last one hundred years! China has admitted that “it will be difficult to get local officials to give up their economic interests for the sake of the environment” according to Times Staff writer Ching-Ching Ni. Uh… sound familiar to anyone???!

I am quite distraught about the article. I'd like to know how their pet dogs are treated in China too. But according to the article I read, it seems that people there were quite upset about this whole thing. Some groups in China and small animal protection associations are planning to file a lawsuit aganst the local government. I'm still having a difficult time imagining this whole thing. It's so unreal. I'd like to know what we could do about it too, rather than spread the words in the forums.

I just finished reading an article from the Washington Post entitled, "Mild Weather Takes Edge Off Chinese Ice Festival," and the journalist writes about how unseasonably warm temperatures are causing the ice sculptures in Harbin, China to melt at a faster rate.

(Maybe Al Gore should be a guest speaker at Harbin?)

Apparently, citizens in this northeastern Chinese community are concerned about their arts melting before the holidays are over. The ice festival also attracts many visitors to the city, and generates money into the local economy. Many people are concerned that if the warming trend continues to occur, annual tourists will cut their visits short, or not show up at all.

One thing that jumped out at me was the comment about China being the second largest nation to contribute green house gases. I guess I shouldn't be surprised-- but to me, China seemed like it just started springing up. I haven't really heard about China until I entered college. It wasn't until when Mr. Dube mentioned that China consumes about 47% of the world's cement, and this article alluding to China's heavy pollution did it really sink in that China's been pretty busy and becoming a nation in the forefront.

In exchange for a booming economy, China faces a looming environmental problem that have already made its presence known--so how is China going to handle this? :~

On its April 1st issue, there was a year long investigation reported by the Washington Post on illegal logging and China's involvement in this activity. It proved to be an extemely interesting read; especially when I read about all the companies that the wood eventually wind up in.

China is one of the world's leading finished wood manufacturer. Wood would be purchased from various countries (Burma, Gabon, Russia, Brazil, Indonesia, etc.) and processed in China, then sold to companies like Ikea and Home Depot. Except that a large percentage of the logging is illegal. The percentage of forest and tropical forest land in the above mentioned countries are dwindling at a rapid pace and many environmentalists and citizens are concerned about the affects of the logging. Incidentally, China's own forest lands are increasing.

In order to keep up with the demands of western countries for wood products, China is venturing out to different countries and cutting down massive amounts of timber, some are even endangered species of trees. Thanks to government and military officials turning a blind eye, Chinese bribary, and various 'legal' loggings done due to loop holes, several of the countries are facing deforestation. The fast logging of tropical forest is alarming environmentalist and animal rights activists. Habitats and animals are being destroyed due to the cutting of trees and scientists are afraid that there will be great ramifications in the very near future.

While forests are decreasing elsewhere, the Chinese government has strictly enforced logging bans in certain parts of the country. This does not stop the wood industry from increasing their production. In fact, production increased greatly. Many Chinese loggers are making big bucks from all of this. They pay trivial amounts of money to have permission to cut the wood, but make exponentially more when it comes down processing and selling the wood.

There are some great satellite photos of the deforestation in parts of Burma and several other photos of the logging industry in the article.

When the Olympics come to town I believe the host city generally expands its public transportation system to cope with the influx of tourists. I am curious if Beijing is able to improve its transportation systems in a way that will address the issues of tourism for the Olympics and encourage less use of cars by local people long-term? This could be a great opportunity for Beijing to become a "green" city.

I just read an article in a children's magazine (Faces, May 1998) about pink dolphins in the waters around Hong Kong. I had never heard of them before! There were a couple of pictures in the magazine but I also did a google image search and found many more amazing pictures of these pink dolphins.

They are only found in one place in the world and are few in numbers. About a dozen years ago some environmental groups began bringing attention to the little-know pink dolphins because they were feared to be in danger. Construction of a local airport was impacting the environment of the dolphins and the blasting was thought to be responsible for many pink dolphins washing ashore with internal injuries or dead. Current dangers include the facts that they live in a very busy shipping area and face pollution, overfishing, and human interactions.

The attention brought to the pink dolphins by environmental groups contribued to the decision to make the pink dolphin the official mascot of the 1997 Hong Kong Handover.

Yet another great article from a children's magazine:
Calliope, February 2007 issue Topic: Made in China

China's Beijing Genomics Institute mapped the rice genome in 2002. The debate in the article is about the pros and cons of genetically modified rice. With China's rapidly-growing population, more people need to be fed and it takes more and more farmland to grow the food to feed them. This "super-rice" could be a solution to the dilemna. Environmentalists are worried that if the modified rice accidently spread into the environment and mixed with natural strains of rice, it could damage the ecosystem. Large corporations prducing "super-rice" could take business away from poor farmers and then drive up the price. The Chinese government is monitoring the production of genetically modified plants, animals, and microorganisms and requiring that they be labeled with ingredients.

Another interesting fact: the average age of the genome project workforce in China is 23.

I think the pros and cons of genetically modified rice would be another great debate/socratic seminar topic for my students.