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  • Essay / Globalization and China's Environmental Problems

    Is the lifestyle of Europeans and Americans a major cause of China's environmental problems? One of China's greatest successes was in turn one of its greatest failures. One of the main problems lies with China's greatest achievement: its phenomenal economic growth. This is one of the main causes of the current environmental problems facing the country. Factories release pollutants into the air and water. It is hard to imagine the Chinese government making the significant sacrifices required to improve its environment if it means slowing its economic growth. In order to understand why China is in such environmental trouble, we need to understand why the lifestyles of people in Europe and around the United States might be to blame. The first area to consider is the environmental problems China currently suffers from. Once this is established, I can say what impact the United States and Europe have in relation to these problems and what the causes really are. By connecting events, it will be easier to see the chain of events. To do this, I will work backwards and understand the problems that exist in China and then what they result from. This will help me understand why China's environmental problems have become so serious. According to the Worldwatch Institute, rapid industrialization has polluted many lakes and rivers, leading to chemical pollution and increased algae blooms, making the water undrinkable. These combined problems then impact aquatic life by depriving it of oxygen. Many regions are also suffering from an increase in dust storms; these were a cause of agricultural overexploitation. These increased storms wouldn't cause much trouble, but now they can... Middle of paper... American companies are causing pollution in China. Internet. March 16, 2015http://news.mongabay.com/2007/0822-wsj.html (accessed April 12, 2011)The Open University (2009) U116 Environment: journeys through a changing world, block 5, “Changing China” , Milton Keynes, The Open UniversityChina “unfairly perceived as an eco-villain”. Internet. March 16, 2015http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8100988.stmEU Member States. Internet. March 16, 2015http://europa.eu/abc/european_countries/index_en.htmUS-China Business Council, Table 7: China's main trading partners. Internet. March 16, 2015http://www.uschina.org/statistics/tradetable.htmlFast food globalization, available at http://schoolworkhelper.net/2011/02/fast-food-globalization/ (accessed April 19, 2011)List of countries per population. Internet. March 16, 2015http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population