Pollution in China

1
Pollution in China
2
Problems with economic changes

• economic development has taken its toll on
  China's environment
• China's waterways are dying, and its rivers are
  running black from industrial pollution and
  untreated sewage is polluting city water

3
Problems with economic changes

• Officials in Beijing have warned that a third of
  China's rural population - an estimated 360m
  people - lack access to safe drinking water
• 70 of China's rivers and lakes are polluted

4
Problems

• Residents of a Chinese city threatened by a
  recent chemical spill were given a few hours to
  stock up on water before contamination reaches
  the city

5
Problems

• about two million people have suffered diseases
  caused by drinking water with high arsenic
  content, including cancer

6
Impact of economic changes

• China's own natural resources - its air, land and
  water - are already suffering badly
• China has already become the world's second
  biggest generator of carbon dioxide emissions and
  could overtake the US as the biggest source of
  greenhouse gases in three decades.

7
Government action

• China is spending over 5bn on pollution
  treatment
• the Chinese government is keen to attract foreign
  technology and cash to build and operate water
  supply and sewage projects
• However the 1.3-billion population is paying a
  high environmental price for a decade of rapid
  development

8
Government action

• Beijing is trying to reduce air pollution by
  urging residents to switch their heating to
  natural gas.
• But the huge rise in the number of cars on city
  streets does not help

9

• Describe the economic changes that have taken
  place in China
• What problems does China now face due to economic
  changes?
• What can the government do to help the situation?