Environment+-+Air+and+Water+CFAD

China's recent economic growth has come to a cost of environmental degradation. Bad government control of China's environment, and the lack of public awareness on environmental issues have lead to a poor balance between economic success and environmental health. China's current environmental problems can be put into 6 parts: land, industry, energy, water, air, and population. We believe the environment is like this because of the type of government this country has. We believe that if this country had a democracy, there would be more people to deal with many different issues.

Water- China's water supply faces many problems. More than ninety percent the water supply is contaminated, and about ten billion cubic meters of tap water is lost every year. Of the 660 large and medium-sized cities in China, over 400 face many water problems. Underground sources of water have been polluted by waste released from cities.

Air- In 1990, China was responsible for ten percent of global emissions. Today China produces the largest amount of sulfur dioxide and sulfur emissions in East Asia. Since China remains heavily dependent on coal as an energy, it is unlikely that it's emissions will be reduced near future. Instead, China's air quality is likely to worsen due to the emission of sulfur and nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, and dust particles.

Population- By 2004, China's urban population accounted for nearly forty-two percent of its total population. This has led to additional pollution in China's cities. One-fourth of China's urban population live in places that suffer from horrible air pollution as well as problems related to wastes, noise, and contaminated tap water. The huge population has also lead to shortage of food.

Li, Xiaofan. "Environmental Concerns in China: Problems, Policies, and Global Implications | International Social Science Review | Find Articles at BNET." // Find Articles at BNET | News Articles, Magazine Back Issues & Reference Articles on All Topics //. CBS, Spring 2006. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. .