Pollution control and economic growth are incompatible goals in the context of

China's development. Discuss.

As with all industrialized nation, Chinas economic success since 1978 has been
at the expense of the environment. While sustainable development has been
much emphasized on especially since Hus term, China was never really able to
develop its economy without compromising on the environment. Hence, this
essay seeks to argue that pollution control and economic growth are largely
incompatible goals in the context of China as the inexorable way for China to
sustain high growth rate will necessitate the degradation of the environment.
Pollution control may not be incompatible with economic growth due to the
immense political determination displayed by the CCP government at improving
the environmental conditions of the country even as economic growth is sought
after. Hu Jintao in the Seventeenth Party Congress in year 2008 has called for
due attention to be paid to the environment as China progresses. Hus scientific
concept of development stressed the need to develop the economy in an
environmentally friendly manner. The Green GDP was implemented to assess
local officials not only on their performance at promoting the economy but also
their efforts at protecting the environment. China was able to ensure that
Beijings sky stays clear and remove tones of algae from the coasts of Qingdao
prior to the 2008 Olympics Games. The 2010 Shanghai Expo is designed to be a
showcase for Chinas achievements in the green technology. Chinese ministries
have been considering the implementation of an environmental tax to cut down
on pollution level. Hence, with sufficient political determination, economic growth
can actually be balanced with environmental protection.
However, Chinas economic success which is based largely on industrialization
renders its economic growth incompatible with pollution control due to the
conflicting nature of the two. Air and water pollution have been worsened by
Chinas heavy reliance on coal for energy. Since 2007, China has taken over the
US for the first time as the worlds top producer of greenhouse gases. This is
worsened by the greater dependence on motor vehicles as the basic means of
transport to navigate around China and the problem of central-regional relations
where provincial officials often ignore the regulatory limits mete out by Beijing.
Water and air pollution as of 2012 is estimated to have caused 750,000
premature deaths and around 8% of GDP. Worst of all, scaling back of either of
the two could upset socio-political stability, as the foundation of Chinese
economic development is in conflict with the environmental rights of the citizens.
Hence, Chinas economic success which is based largely on industrialization
renders its economic growth incompatible with pollution control due to the
conflicting nature of the two
Governments efforts at educating the public on being environmentally conscious
so that they would not add on to the environmental cost of economic
development have also received some successes. Advertisements and other
programs launched on the media strived to encourage its audience to be more
environmentally friendly in their lifestyle. Celebrities became role models to
Chinese youths in the countrys bid to promote environmental awareness.
Surveys have shown that more Chinese, as compared with the Americans, are
willing to sacrifice some comforts of modern living in order to protect the
environment. More NGOs are formed each year to monitor and highlight
concerns of victims suffering from pollution. The public is also encouraged to
bring their own utensil so as to cut down the usage of disposable forks and

spoons. All of these alleviate the gravity of environmental pollution and lessen
the burden produced by economic development.
However, high and inelastic demand for energy due to rising cost and scarcity of
traditional fuel and resources impedes Chinas attempts to be friendlier to its
environment even as China continues to grow. Although China ranks second in
the world behind the USA in total energy consumption and carbon emissions, its
per capita energy consumption and carbon emissions are much lower than the
world average. After 2001, Chinas growth rate of energy demand exceeded the
growth rate of GDP reaching 1.5times of it. China imported 162.million tons of oil
in 2006 as the worlds second largest energy user. Its dependence on imported
oil reached 47%, having increased by 4.1% from 2005. China accounted for 15%
of global energy consumption but generated only 5.5% of global GDP. Lack of oil
and technology and expertise to extract shale gas, China can only continue to
depend on the polluting coal that she has abundant of so as to not upset
economic activities. Hence, High and inelastic demand for energy impedes
Chinas attempts to be friendlier to its environment.
Chinas vast devotion of resources into research and development of green
technology also gives rise to the possibility that the countrys rapid economic
growth can be sustained without jeopardizing the economy. Bold initiatives are
made by the government and public businesses to harness wind and solar power
for industrial and home usage. Pacts signed with countries like Singapore to build
eco-cities and ecologically-friendly industrial parks. China is the worlds largest
investor on the search and utilization of renewable energy. Construction of the
Three Gorges Dam, along with several other smaller dams, attests to
governments determination to resort to hydroelectricity to satisfy mounting
energy demands. The government also plans to build nuclear plants to supply
power to the cities of Southern China. Under governmental encouragement, wind
and solar power generators are becoming popular even in private households,
especially for those in the countryside and interior China, putting forth the
possibility that the countrys rapid economic growth can be sustained without
jeopardizing the economy.
However, inability to find more environmentally friendly and sustainable form of
energy continues to perpetuate the conflict between environment and economic
growth. In spite of efforts of the government, China is still home to some of the
worlds most polluted cities and waterways. According to the WHO, China has
seven of the ten most-polluted cities in the world. Acid rain continues to fall on
about 30% of Chinas total land area. Chinas water is polluted also by the
disposal of large quantities of organic and toxic waste form households,
agriculture and industry. Water pollution has led to severe water shortages in
some provinces. This is evident in the 2008 Olympics where guaranteed fresh
water supply to Beijing has resulted in drought around the capitals surrounding
countryside. As such, inability to find more environmentally friendly and
sustainable form of energy also perpetuates the conflict between environment
and economic growth.
In conclusion, sustainable development has been much emphasized on
especially since Hus term. However, China was never really able to develop its
economy without compromising on the environment. Therefore, pollution control
and economic growth are largely incompatible goals in the context of China as
the inexorable way for China to sustain high growth rate will necessitate the
degradation of the environment.