Chinese Economic Expansion And Increased Air Pollution

Name Professor Engl 108-006 11/03/2014 Chinese Economic Expansion and Increased Air Pollution In recent years, China has been experiencing unprecedented economic growth. Chinese prosperity has had negative side-effects, including extreme environmental pollution (Wong, 2014). What researchers call â€Å"ambient particulate matter pollution† was the fourth-leading risk factor for deaths in China, contributing to 1.2 million deaths in 2010. Construction, industrial waste and greenhouse gasses are the major contributors to an epidemic that is creating a public outcry for government intervention. The Chinese government and other stakeholders have asserted that air pollution is decreasing and that the main culprits are not large industrial corporations. They point to strict regulations that they claim have been rigidly enforced. However, many foreign governments, environmental groups and activists around the world dispute this assertion. A growing number of Chinese also believe their government is not doing enough to c urb environmental pollution. In 2012, the government announced a â€Å"war on pollution.† However, the slow reaction to a decades old crisis is a reflection of the power struggle within a government torn between those who believe in economic growth at all costs, and those who believe that these costs are becoming too high. At the heart of the controversy is a complex question: Is the Chinese government properly regulating industry to reduce and control pollution, or areShow MoreRelatedUrban Expansion And Its Effect On Families975 Words   |  4 PagesReport---urban expansion 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Aims Urban expansion and effects. 1.2 Parameters Inequality, traffic problems, waste, housing, pollution and suicides. 1.3 Definition Urbanisation is the increase proportion of people living in towns and cities. 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