How seriously is the Chinese government addressing concerns over

pollution and environmental degradation in China?

China is now the largest producer of greenhouse gases in the world. This
is the sacrifice China has to make for its rapid economic growth for the
past 30years. The extent of pollution in China is so severe that it became
an issue for the 2008 Summer Olympics when athletes almost boycotted
the event. As such, pollution is no longer a domestic issue for China, but is
now an international concern. Recognizing the severity of the problems,
the CCP set up the State Environmental Protection Agency in 1988 to deal
with the environmental issues in China. In view of the increasing severity
of the problem now, SEPA has come up with several initiatives to cope
with the ever-rising environmental issues. One such issue was the 2005
Songhua River chemical spill which has international implications.
However, a more important issue for China is to balance its economic
growth with environmental protection.
At the central and local levels, authorities have to play an active part in
enforcing environmental control. Much of the environmental issues have
their roots at the provincial level, therefore it is essential that the local
leaders check and control the problems before they escalate further. SEPA
has the power to impose sanctions on provinces or cities where no
significant improvement is made on the environment. SEPA can also
postpone plans for chemical plans to be set up in the blacklisted areas
until the pollution problems are rectified. This is to ensure local authorities
do their part in maintain environmental protection. In the light of the 2008
Olympics, the CCP had a mass clean up of Beijing, boosting its positive
image to usher in the prestigious event. However, given the vast number
of local authorities to be checked, SEPAs hands are tied in monitoring the
situation in each and every city. The 2005 Songhua River chemical spill
incident reflected Jilins officials unwillingness in providing full
cooperation. The officials even tried covering up for their mistakes until
the Chinese media unraveled more challenging evidence to prove
negligence at the local levels. Therefore, it is essential for local authorities
to conduct themselves responsibly to ensure that pollution in China does
not go out of hand.
The state has been using the carrot and stick approach in instilling
better environmental sense in the private sector. Using a combination of
deterrence and encouragement, the state is trying to inculcate a culture
of responsible production amongst the private sector. This approach
comes in the forms of fiscal and taxation policies. In April 2007, SEPA gave
the Bank of China a list of blacklisted companies to prevent violators from
securing bank loans. Financial incentives are also given to recycling and
renewable energy industries. However, the increase in overhead costs for
going green may deter companies from entering the Chinese market. Cost
incurred may include the transportation of toxic wastes for dumping using
better quality energy sources to reduce air pollution and also better
technology to replace the more toxic producing equipment. In short,

compared to using less clean methods, companies to using less clean

methods, companies may find it more cost ineffective to invest in China,
in spite of the incentives provided by the government.
The CCP is now actively searching for alternative sources of clean up
energy. The main cause of air pollution is the burning of fossil fuels.
Besides depleting sources of crude oil in China, the CCP has got to search
for other forms of energy to clean up the smog in China. New alternative
sources of energy such as hydro-electricity and nuclear energy are
possible ways which the CCP have begun using in recent years. These
sources have the potential of generating electricity in the long-run while
at the same time sustaining the environment. One significant project is
the 3Gorges Dam project, which is to generate vast amount of
hydroelectricity in 2009. Another feasible way of producing energy is
nuclear, which can generate huge amount of cleaner energy than fossil
fuel. However, there are opportunity costs incurred for the mentioned
projects. The highly controversial Three Gorges Dam project has potential
damage to local ecosystems in the short run. Besides, the relocation of
over a million people in the affected controversies of corruption and under
compensation. Critics have also blamed the CCP for spending more than
the official released cost of US$25billiob for building this white elephant in
China. Lobbyists in China have also been criticizing the CCP for conducting
nuclear tests in central Xinjiang which is linked to many cases of birth
defects there. Although other sources of cleaner energy are able to
protect the environment, there are socio-economical costs to China, which
may create a problem for the CCPs legitimacy.
The CCP has allowed society to act as watchdogs over irresponsible
companies. As the middle class in China grows, the clean and green
recognition amongst the grassroots as compared to the past. NGOs
lobbying for environmental protection are now sprouting in China. With
this given political freedom, the NGOs can expose unscrupulous
companies responsible for polluting China. In March 2007, the Institute of
Public Environment and Management (an NGO), issued a blacklist
including 33MNCs in China. These NGOs can actually exert pressure on the
MNCs to keep their actions in check. By applying pressure from the
grassroots level, the CCP can actually utilize the NGOs to lobby against
unethical MNCs.
Given the incentives of economic growth, the authorities may not be
willing to sacrifice for the environment. Many of the party cadres are
prompted for their economic contribution to the country. Local leaders
view high growth rates as very good platforms for promotion and this is
far more important than protecting the environment. Compared to the
welfare of the environment, the local officials are more concerned with
their career prospects, which could seriously undermine the efforts to curb
pollution at the local levels. Besides, the authorities are not the recipients
of the backlashes of pollution, as many of the richer officials have moved
away to cleaner parts of the provinces. This is most evident in the case of

Shanxi, where many villagers who are unable to resettle to the cleaner
parts of the province had to bear the consequences of air pollution.
Hence, the lure of political advancement at the local levels has actually
outweighed the advantages of maintaining a cleaner environment in
China, resulting in unethical practices to be condoned.
Environmental degradation is a serious consequence of 30years of
unchecked economic development. This may spiral to the weakening of
the CCPs legitimacy in the long-run as social costs increases as a result of
pollution. In recent years, the CCP has been seriously looking into
alleviating pollution in China, as part of promoting its international image
as a responsible and great power. Essentially, the government has been
adopting the Carrot and stick approach to solve the problems, but
lapses at the local levels have been an obstacle. As Chinas economic
growth increases by the years, it is essential for the CCP to curb pollution
immediately before the problems accumulates, which could lead to
detrimental socio-economical and political problems in the long-run.