Industrialization And Environmental Challenge In China Environmental Sciences Essay

Industrialization And Environmental Challenge In China Environmental Sciences EssayChina has experienced the worlds scurrying economic tuition over the past decades. At the same time, it has faced environmental degradation, and growing barriers against development. Chinas most productive city in quieten has taken a particularly major role in Chinas economic and political development. However, the city could non avoid confrontation with environmental challenges, especially peeing supply pollution. The rapid economic growth and industrialisation have generated high pressure on the citys environment.Although yarn-dye is a coastal economic city with abundant water sources from various rivers such as Yangtze River and Changjiang River, the city has suffered from polluted water and water shortage. The first reason is water pollution. According to Shanghai Water Authority (Shanghai Municipal Oceanic Bureau, SWA), majority of surface water in the city has been polluted and the wate r quality does not meet the drinking water quality standards1. likewise, only 2.3 per cent of the Huangpu River, Shanghais chief(prenominal) water supplies, met the grade 1-2 of water quality and 23.0 per cent attained grade 3. The rest 73.8 per cent was rated as grade 4-5 (China Water Risk Report 2010). Second, Shanghais water infrastructure provides 56.1% of the total water supply to its industry sector, which includes power plants and coal-fired factories, 14.3% to agriculture, and 10.1% to 23 million residents of its greater municipality (UNEP, 2010)2.This research argues that the Shanghai brass has made improvements to solve the water pollution problem, but these havent been sufficient to resolve the persistent water pollution in the city. The Shanghai authority insists that it is aware of the deterioration of the environment, and it has promoted more balanced patterns of development using concepts such as harmonious society and scientific development. For instance, the muni cipal government launched $586 billion economic stimulus package in late 2008, and it invested majorly in environment conservation projects, especially, water pollution projects. Also the government implemented the Plan of Underground Water Pollution Prevention and Control(2010-2011) which cost about %5.4 billion(IBIS, 2012)3. However, nigh research conducted by scholars such as Thomas Johnson (2009) and the Chinese Policy Research Center for Environment and Economy (2006) raised skepticism on the Shanghai governments environmental governance since there hasnt been a noticeable improvement. Also some empirical data show that the emissions of major water pollutants from the industrial sector is still considered serious, and the amount of wastewater discharged from the industrial and household sectors continues to increase.First, this research assumes that the Shanghai governments governance has been experiencing difficulties in controlling water pollution because of the weak legal actor in restricting pollutants emission. In regard with water tax shelter, the government has several legal measures such as Environmental impact assessment system(EIA), The Three simultaneity System, Pollution levy system, Pollution discharge reporting system, Emission permit system, Total emission control system, Enforcement of pollution abatement for noncompliance, and Enforcement of shutting down, merging and transferring system(Xin, 2009). Nonetheless, the legal philosophy enforcement and penalty imposition have not been effective in practice, which caused the failure in restricting pollutants emission. For example, the amount of three major pollutant emissions SO2, COD and soot has not been successfully decreased. In SO2s case, the amount of industrial emission even increased during 1990-2006 (Wen, 2007)4.Research Question1. Does the Shanghai government have sufficient legal measures in restricting water pollutant emission?2. If not, what are the causes of the problem?Sec ond, the Shanghai government does not seem to be fully motivated to implement water protection policies. Since the verbalize governments major concern is economic growth under the GDP-based developmentsystem, the municipal governments, including Shanghai, inevitably have been economic growth-oriented affected by the state governments regime. As indicated above, more than half of the water supplies in Shanghai have been allocated in the industry sector. Also, the environment department of the government has suffered from securing sufficient technical merciful resources because of its budget limit, which means the government has put its high priority to the industrialization and economic growth.Research Question1. Has the water pollution issue been high on the Shanghai governments priorities?Third, this research presumes that the accessibility the ideal information and data and the inactive public participation have detracted from the Shanghai governments effectiveness in implement ing the environmental governance. Although consummate information and its accessibility and active public participation could take a major role in the governments environmental governance, the rate of public participation is quite an low and the accessibility of the accurate information is still limited in comparison with other developed countries. The public should be able to access the accurate information and data, and be involved in the monitoring and evaluation system. For example, NGOs could be a substitute for the expensive technical human resources.Research Question1. Does the Shanghai government have the easy accessibility for the public to accurate environmental information and data?The Shanghai governments governance regarding water pollution issues has not been sufficient. Since the government is driven by the economic growth-oriented regime of the centre government, the law enforcement in restricting water pollutant emissions have been ineffective despite several lega l measures. Also the public does not have easy accessibility of the accurate information and data. These three factors have not successfully improved the water quality in Shanghai, which will cause a serious water shortage. The water shortage will have repercussion for the whole country. It will directly affect the citizens advantageously being and hinder China from sustainable development.