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The Lowdown on China’s Environment
| For more information and interview arrangement, please contact Greenpeace China’s Media Centre: Xu Han: 010-65546931 ext 156; hans.xu@cn.greenpeace.org Sarah Liang: 010-65546931 ext 123; rliang@cn.greenpeace.org Tom Wang: 010-65546931 ext 151; xwang@cn.greenpeace.org Or media line: 010-65546931 ext 199 |
• Of the 20 most-polluted cities in the world, 16 are in China.
• About 300 Chinese cities suffer from severe water shortages
• 385 species of animals in China are listed as endangered
• China is one of the largest emitters of Green House Gases; the emissions have increased greatly in the past 10 years. It is estimated that the general burning of fossil fuels and the coal consumed by the cement industry have together produced 6.2 billion tons of CO2 in the year 2006.
• China’s air quality presents a great concern for public health. A recent study by a Chinese research institute found that 400,000 premature deaths are caused, every year, in China by diseases linked to air pollution.
| ‘We strive to have our people drink clean water, breathe clean air, and enjoy a better work and living environment.’ – Premier Wen Jiabao, <The Government Work Report>, March 5th 2005 |
Currently, China’s environmental crisis not only has a negative influence on the country’s economic development and international image, but also affects the life and survival of every single citizen. The State Environmental Protection Administration (upgraded into the Ministry of Environmental Protection in March, 2008) and National Bureau of Statistics jointly issued the “Green GDP Accounting Study Report, 2004,” which showed that China’s economic losses caused by pollution that year reached 511.8 million yuan , accounting for 3.05 percent of the year’s entire GDP. Environmental pollution is stifling China’s economic growth.
In June 2008, the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People’s Republic of China published an annual report titled, “China’s Environment, 2007.” It says:
Air quality in 40 percent of all medium-sized cities is classified as “category 3,” which means that the contamination levels lead to an increased emergence of pollution-related symptoms and the deterioration of some health conditions in both the susceptible population (usually children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing health conditions) and the healthy. More than half of the 500 cities investigated suffer acid rain. In addition, fewer than half of China’s 197 rivers are suitable for drinking, swimming, or even maintaining piscine life. Five of seven river systems are already seriously polluted.
| There are still 360 million rural citizens in need of clean drinking water in China. The massive use of fertilizer and pesticide, combined with domestic wastewater, has polluted 100,000 square meters of arable land so far. There exist almost no environmental protection facilities in the rural areas. – Pan Yue, Deputy Director of the then State Environmental Protection Bureau, January 2007 |
China’s economic growth is based on high consumption of natural resources. The International Energy Agency pointed out, in the “World Energy Outlook, 2007,” that “China consumed 38 percent of the world’s total coal output” that year. China is also the biggest importer of logs and tropical woods.
It is also worth noting that, as the “factory of the world,” China processes these natural resources and then exports the products to the global market; the resultant pollution is left behind in China.
1. China’s water crisis
Statistics from the Ministry of Water Resources of the People’s Republic of China show that China’s per capita water resources are less than 1/3 of the world’s average and that China is one of the 20 countries suffering the most from water shortage. Zhou Shengxian, Minister of Environmental Protection, said “in 2005, the urban groundwater of half of China’s cities was seriously polluted”. At least 30 percent of the freshwater from China’s seven river systems is not even fit for irrigation and 85 percent of China’s lakes have suffered eutrophic phenomena, especially algae blooms, which reduce the dissolved oxygen content and often cause the extinction of other organisms. Water pollution accounts for half of China’s annually reported pollution. Half of the water pollutants are a result of industrial activity.
Figures from both the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Public Health indicate over 90 million people do not have access to potable water and that over 40 percent of the potable water in rural areas does not even meet basic health and hygiene guidelines.
In addition, climate change is also threatening the future of China’s freshwater supply. Greenpeace found, after three expeditions, that glaciers of the Tibetan Plateau have been retreating incredibly fast over the past 40 years. The glacier, also called the Asian Water Tower, is the source of major rivers, such as the Yangtze, the Yellow River, the Ganges, the Indus, and the Mekong. The lastest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in April, 2007, indicates that 80 percent of Himalayan glaciers will disappear in the coming 30 years, threatening the potable water supply for billions of people, in China and other Asian countries.
A comparison of Halong Glacier between 1981 and 2005. According to the analysis done by the Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, the glacier retreated by over 400 metres between 1966 and 2000.
2. China’s agriculture and food supply crisis
The global grain crisis has already created turbulent situations in many countries. Many scientists and economists posit that this crisis is the result of a series of elements, including climate change, rising oil prices, unfair international trade, pollution from chemical agriculture, and so on.
The most populated country in the world, China appears to have enough for now. However, over the years, the dependence on chemical agriculture has caused harm to farmland and water resources. At present, 1.33 million hectares of farmland are seriously affected by the use of pesticide and chemical fertilizer, and freshwater from the rivers is too polluted for irrigation.
If the current trend is not reversed, with the decrease of agricultural population and increase of urban population combined with the deterioration of the environment, China will soon also be struggling with the food supply crisis.
Fortunately, the Chinese government strictly forbids the production of bio-diesel from corn and other food crops. Therefore, bio-fuel does not put much pressure on the production of grain, but an officer from the State Administration of Grain claims that prices will rise when the domestic market is connected to the international market.
China’s consumption of chemical fertilizer is the highest in the world. Only 30 percent of the fertilizer is truly absorbed by the plants. This means that nearly 70 percent of all chemical fertilizer enters water systems by surface runoff and causes algae bloom outbursts, among other things, which contributes to lake pollution. At present, over 85 percent of China’s lakes suffer from eutrophication.
To counter algae bloom, the Chinese government encourages ecological agriculture. After conducting field trips, Greenpeace found that local governments sometimes ignore these policies. The overuse of chemical fertilizer is abundant. Massive amounts of nitrogen and phosphorous enter the river systems as a result.
Switching from chemical-intensive agriculture to ecological agriculture, including organic farming is the best solution for agricultural pollution and algae bloom outbursts.
3. China’s air pollution
Both the biggest producer and biggest consumer of coal, China uses half of the coal it consumes for coal-fired power plants. Coal supplies up to 70 percent of China’s energy. The burning of fossil fuel is one of the major sources of air pollution and figures from the National Bureau of Statistics of China show that atmospheric pollution led to the deaths of nearly 358 thousand people in 2004.
At the same time, Chinese cities are expanding with an ever increasing population. With increases in personal incomes, urban Chinese are buying more cars. According to the Traffic Management Bureau (TMB) of the Ministry of Public Security, China saw an increase of 4,084,176 new cars in the first half of 2008,, or over 22,000 every day. China’s total number of cars is at 126 million now.
Coal fired power plants and the increasing number of cars are the two main reasons for air pollution in 40 percent of Chinese cities.
In 2008, Greenpeace is working on the impact of China’s over-dependence on coal, revealing the effects of coal on the environment and the health of the people. Greenpeace also calls on the government to promote renewable energy more actively as a solution to combat climate change. The continued development and improvement of the public transport system will also contribute greatly to the reduction and prevention of the disastrous consequence of air pollution.
4. China’s forest and biodiversity crisis
The Greenpeace world map of last intact forest landscapes shows that less than 10 percent of the planet’s forest landscapes remain intact. In China, intact forest accounts for only 2 percent of the domestic forest area. Statistics from China’s State Council show that one quarter of China’s land suffers from severe desertification.
Intact forest is one of the most important habitats for wild animals. Although China is generally considered to be a country that enjoys rich bio-diversity, more than ten species have disappeared in the past 100 years including mustangs, Xinjiang tigers, and so on. Whether the Yangtze River dolphin still even exists is unknown. The State Forestry Administration believes that the destruction of habitat, often the result of forest cultivation and overgrazing, is the major reason for the decrease of biodiversity in China.
At the same time, China’s demand for wood from endangered tree species adds pressure to forestry resources in other countries. World Bank’s data shows that, out of every ten tropical logs traded world wide, five of them end up in China. Furthermore, China’s exports of wooden products to Europe and to the US over the last decade have increased five fold and eight fold, respectively.
Greenpeace’s 2006 report, titled “Sharing the Blame”, states “Producers and consumers alike, in China, the European Union, the United States, and Japan should share the blame for the forest destruction resulting from illegal logging.” As a direct consequence of the report, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that, together with other countries, China would fight the illegal wood trade. Companies from Britain, Belgium, France, and other countries have made commitments not to purchase illegal wood products from the Paradise Forests, which stretch from Southeast Asia to the Solomon Islands. In 2007, Greenpeace persuaded B&Q, China’s largest retailer of furniture and building materials, to agree that by 2009, all of their wood products sold in China will come from certified sustainable forests.
5. China and the crisis of global warming
The year of 2008 has left China with memories of extreme weather like blizzards, drought, and flooding. China is not only one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases, but is also one of the countries most affected by them.
Greenpeace’s past expeditions to the Tibetan Plateau show that this area is very sensitive to climate change. The IPCC report shows that if nothing is done, 80 percent of the Himalayan glacier will disappear in less than 30 years. This directly affects the drinking water supply of billions of Asians.
Climate change has also sped up China's desertification. Officials from the State Forestry Administration claim that up to 2,636,000 square kilometers of land, which accounts for one third of China’s total surface, suffer from desertification, affecting the livelihood of nearly 400 million people. The direct economic loss caused by desertification is estimated at 50 billion yuan per year.
The economic loss by the blizzard at the beginning of 2008 was estimated to have reached 151.65 billion yuan. The direct economic loss caused by flooding was close to 40 billion yuan (by July 18th 2008). At the same time, China has the world’s greatest potential to develop renewable energy, which is a real solution for climate change and extreme weather caused by climate change.
China enjoys a great capacity to develop both wind and solar energy. “The China Wind Power Report, 2007” predicts that, with the right policy support, China can become one of the top three wind energy markets in the world by 2020.
The application of clean energy will not only effectively reduce China’s ecological footprint but can also create new opportunities in industrial development and employment, thereby boosting economic growth.
6. China’s policies for environment
China has enacted many policies and regulations, including Green GDP, Green Credit, Green Insurance, and so on, but the implementation of these policies and regulations is problematic on local levels. Some highly polluting industries operate under the protection of local government despite the ban from the state level. Chinese citizens are often not well informed or aware of the design and implementation of environmental policies.
In order to improve China’s environment, it is crucial to empower the Ministry of Environmental Protection with independent monitoring rights and to catalyze public participation.
Incorporating environmental concerns into the current economic development mode of China would help, rather than hinder, economic growth. Environmental pollution has already greatly affected China’s economy. Part of China’s overall spending is on environmental management and disaster compensation. According to the “Green GDP Accounting Study Report, 2004,” issued by the then State Environmental Protection Administration and the National Bureau of Statistics of China, in 2004, China spent 511.8 million yuan on environmental disaster control and management, accounting for 3.05 percent of the year’s GDP.
In March of 2008, the State Environmental Protection Administration became the Ministry of Environmental Protection. Greenpeace hopes that “…the promotion will also give the new ministry ‘real teeth’ to enforce China’s environmental regulations and to counter the vested interests of growth-at-all-cost. China will also benefit from empowering, encouraging, and mobilizing its people to become more environmentally active and to help monitor polluters and the enforcement of environmental law.”
7. Greenpeace in China
Greenpeace stands for positive change through action to defend the natural world and promote peace.
Greenpeace is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1971 in Canada and now has a presence in 40 countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific. To maintain its independence, Greenpeace does not accept donations from governments or corporations but relies on contributions from individual supporters and foundation grant
Greenpeace has grown from a few activists into a truly global organization with millions of supporters and activists worldwide. As a global organization, Greenpeace focuses on the most crucial worldwide threats to our planet's biodiversity and environment. Greenpeace China was established in Hong Kong in 1997 and has since set up offices in Beijing and Guangzhou.
China’s phenomenal economic growth in the last two decades has brought unprecedented environmental threats to the country and the world. Greenpeace believes that development should not come at the expense of the environment. We are committed to seeking and building a green growth pattern, together with the people of China.
In China, Greenpeace dedicates itself to the advancement of environmental policies, the assessment of enterprises' environmental behavior, and the promotion of citizens’ environmental awareness. We actively participate in emergency relief. After the Sichuan Earthquake in May 2008, Greenpeace established a rapid response team the next day, and arrived at the earthquake-affected area the third day after the earthquake. We inspected chemical plants in the most affected areas and reported chemical leaking incidents to the authorities and the nearby communities in order to avoid secondary hazards.
| Greenpeace’s work in 2005 can be summed up in 4 key words: investigate, expose, advise, and advocate. The areas they work on include climate and energy, food and agriculture, toxics, and ancient forest protection. Their scientific and strategic working method has made Greenpeace a model among domestic environmental NGOs. Seen through the related media reports, on one hand Greenpeace exposed and advocated in the face of environmental damages, on the other hand, Greenpeace educated, with patience, ordinary citizens and told them to stay away from genetically engineered food. – Southern Window, December 2005 |
Greenpeace China has been playing an active role both domestically and on the international stage. The most influential Chinese media selected Greenpeace as the best NGO in China. On the international stage, Mr. Szeping Lo from Greenpeace China has attended the UN High Level Meeting on Climate. Lo Sze Ping challenged world leaders to strengthen the Kyoto Protocol, the global agreement to combat climate change. He also urged world leaders to engage in an energy revolution.
| We need you, Greenpeace, to mobilize public opinion and enable politicians to do the right thing. –Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary General of the United Nations, September 2007 |
For more information and interview arrangement, please contact Greenpeace China’s Media Centre:
Xu Han: 010-65546931 ext 156; hans.xu@cn.greenpeace.org
Sarah Liang: 010-65546931 ext 123; rliang@cn.greenpeace.org
Tom Wang: 010-65546931 ext 151; xwang@cn.greenpeace.org
Or media line: 010-65546931 ext 199
Greenpeace stands for positive change through action to defend the natural world and promote peace. We are a non-profit organisation with a presence in 40 countries. To maintain its independence, Greenpeace does not accept donations from governments or corporations but relies on contributions from individual supporters and foundation grants.
