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The Environment in the People's Republic of China 50 Years On

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 February 2009

Richard Louis Edmonds
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Extract

This article describes and analyses changes in the environment and related policy developments in the People's Republic over the past 50 years. When discussing the quality of China's environment it must be remembered that the population of the country has doubled over the past half century and the economy has grown rapidly, particularly over the last two decades. Pessimists argue that the current population of over 1,200 million has exceeded the number which can be supported at a good living standard. Despite such views, there has been some ground for optimism in recent years, with China's greater environmental awareness and increased openness, its realization that the environment can be a tool in international diplomacy, and the increasing importation of environmental protection techniques. Yet overall, China has not done enough to maintain environmental quality and has not chosen to make many environmentally friendly transport investments.

Type
Research Article
Information
The China Quarterly , Volume 159 , September 1999 , pp. 640 - 649
Copyright
Copyright © The China Quarterly 1999

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References

1. Degradation of China's environment started long before 1949. For some examples see Elvin, Mark and Ts'ui-jung, Liu (eds.), Sediments of Time: Environment and Society in Chinese History (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998).Google Scholar

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