China is the most densely populated
country in the world. The only country
that comes close to China is India. As
of May 2000, there were 1.2085 billion people in China. Until I took this class I never realized how
much we (the western world) are hated by the rest of the world. Many of them see us as the enemy who is
trying to keep them in the gutter. The
bottom line is that China wants to develop.
The question is can the world afford it, and what will be the
consequences of the development? One
solution is that China should not be allowed, or denied development because the
thought is that if they did, it would be a catastrophe. I had a previous professor that said it is
just as hot in China as it is here (in Georgia), and how can we say that they
cannot have an automobile with an air conditioner? What gives us the right to tell someone that they cannot develop
the way we did because if they did, it would destroy the planet? The only reason no one told England they
couldn’t develop during the Industrial Revolution is because there were no
other competitors out there. This is
part of the reason China and other developing countries are having such a
difficult time. There are simply too many
competitors. I feel that China is going
to develop, and the rest of the world had better get used to that idea. The focus should be on how they can develop
without causing global destruction.
First, we have to look at the starting
point of the problem: The population.
The population in China has doubled since 1950. It was at this time that the government and
the world realized that a major problem was on the horizon, so policies were
put into place. The policy that is most
famous is the One Child Policy. We have
all heard the horrific outcomes of this policy, so I want go into the
horrifying facts, except to say that millions of baby girls are being killed
because boys are favored more than girls.
This policy has been successful, but millions of innocent lives were
lost in the process. There were
countless articles from major newspapers on the murders. My question is if they value boys more than
girls, and they are killing the girls, isn’t there going to be a shortage of
girls in the near future?
The consequences of development for a
country as large as China may be Catastrophic.
China’s natural resources will be the hardest hit. Pollution is the first topic that comes to
mind. China has a high poverty rate,
and this leads to contamination of the water.
As you know, water is the source of life. I took pictures off the Internet, and it showed how many people
share their water with other people and with animals. I found this fascinating because I just read another book for a
History class, The Condition of the Working Class in England, by
Friedrich Engels. This book talked
about how bad living conditions were in the 17th and 18th
centuries. Isn’t it sad that these
living conditions are still taking place in the 21st century? The astounding population of China further
destroys the water supply. Pollution of
the air as a result of development is another concern of the people. The amount of pollution that would come to
the air if China developed factories like the developed world would be unbearable. There are worries about agriculture as
well. What will this pollution do to
the food supply?
So, what can be done about it? The first solution to be discussed should be
the building of the largest dam in the world.
Construction of the Three Gorges Dam began in 1997. The dam is being built to divert the Yangtze
River. The wall is going to be 600 feet
high. The purpose of the dam is to
bring Hydropower to the most populated country of the world. Apparently, the
event is a realization of a dream that dates back to the early 20th
century. The Chinese government feels
that the building of the dam is a “great monument in the modernization of our
country” (President Jiang Zemin). Upon
completion in 2009, the dam will produce a capability of pumping out 18,200
megawatts of electricity from 26 generators, with each equal to a medium sized
nuclear reactor. On a side note, I would like to say that only the Nile and
Amazon Rivers are longer than the Yangtze.
The Three Gorges Dam has become a very
controversial issue in China and around the World. The Chinese government wants to build the dam to ensure China’s
modernization. The power generated by
this water will eliminate much of the pollution in China’s air, but at what
price? On the surface, it seems like a
brilliant plan, but after I researched it further, I found that things might
not go very smoothly because although there are many people supporting the
project, but there are the same amount if not more people who are opposing it. This could turn out to be a very big
problem.
There are two major concerns that
people have toward the dam. The first
is that of water pollution. I don’t see
any way that contamination of the water can be avoided. To quote the New York Times, “This
will be a cesspool for toxins and human waste.” The Chinese government says that they will do everything in their
power to ensure safety. Apparently,
they haven’t been that convincing. Many
countries have pulled out of the project.
The United States pulled out in 1996 over the concerns of destruction to
the environment. This fact helps show
how the richer countries try to halt the development of the other
countries. Another concern related to
the environment is that of the destruction of certain animal life. The gorges serve as homes to many animals,
and when the construction takes place, the animals will be forced to flee, or
die.
The next concern has to do with
geography. In order for the dam to be
built, millions of people who live on the Yangtze River are going to be
relocated. Many citizens of China say
that death will have to come to them before they will give up their homes. There are thousands of protests against this
dam. I actually found a petition
someone had posted on the Internet that was going to be used for support by
those who are opposing the dam. Again,
the government says that they will try to make the transition as smooth as
possible. In addition to these problems,
there will be a huge culture loss with the elimination of the landscape. Chinese artists have been painting pictures
of this site for centuries over looking the gorges.
The next plan on development has to do
with the importance of sustainable development. The plan is referred to as China’s Agenda 21 Plan. China plans to make two changes: One change
is a transition from a traditional planned economic system to a socialist
market-oriented economic system; and
the transition from a resource intensive economic development patters to one
which is efficient yet environmentally conscious. In short, this is China’s way of sustainable development. This plan was first introduced to the United
Nations in 1994. The Chinese government
believes this is the best way to ensure a quality environment, and also keep a
healthy economy. In addition to the
environment, the China Agenda 21 plan also aims at controlling the
population. They have already
accomplished their 1st goal, which was not to exceed 1.3 billion
people by the year 2000. Their next
goal is not to exceed 1.4 billion by 2010.
Apparently this plan does not exist
only in China. Officials are hoping
that China will set a trend, have success with the plan, and that in turn will
lead other countries into a Sustainable Direction. China is receiving great praise for its early implementation of
the potentially global plan.
Is there a way for China to
develop? I honestly do not know. In a perfect world, every country would be
equal, but obviously, that perfect world does not exist. First we looked at the size of China’s
population. The one child policy is
nothing but murder in my eyes. There
has to be a more moral conscious way of population control. Although there has been some lapse in
population growth, I don’t know if the goal of Agenda 21 (no more than 1.4
billion in 2010) will be attained. I
have to sometimes sit back and realize that we are talking about a country that
is not a democracy. The idea of freedom
does not exist, so the people do not have a voice in the government. China may continue its success with the implementation
of the Agenda 21 plan, but I think that too many things are going against
them. As mentioned earlier, when
Britain started developing during the Industrial Revolution, there were no
other competitors. I just don’t know if
China can compete on the global market.
Last semester I had a geography class, and we had to go home and check
where our clothes came from. Not to my
surprise, the majority of my clothes came from Asian countries. If this is the only production China is
capable of, they are not going to survive.
The construction of the Three Gorges Dam in China has also had its share
of opposition. There are thousands of
protests everyday. Concerns of the
environmental effects are causing some investing countries to back out of the
project. There has to be some way for
China to develop, and also protect the environment. In some ways, I wish the world would just back off and let the
countries fend for themselves, but then again, the development of a country
like China will greatly effect the rest of the world. Having said that, what if other largely populated countries like
India for instance saw China, and they wanted to develop too, could the world
survive that development?