China’s Impossible Environmental Dilemma

China’s pollution problem has eclipsed the allegations of its human rights violation. In recent years, the international community has harshly criticized China’s worsening pollution and overuse of fossil fuel. It is of no doubt that China’s enormous carbon footprint and industrial pollution heavily strain the environment. Yet, contrary to what many would believe, this current situation does not come from a lack of effort on the government’s behalf.

Unlike the current United States government, China considers the challenges posed by climate change to be real and substantial; in fact, it and seeks to be the leader of the world in this matter. Consequently, China has taken measures to cap its carbon consumption, sometimes to a fault. For example, in major cities of China such as Beijing and Shanghai, citizens cannot simply purchase a gas-powered car—they must enter a lottery for a permit, which usually takes up to eight years. Meanwhile, there are almost no such restrictions on electric cars, providing a great incentive to buy them.[su_pullquote align=”right”]China considers the challenges posed by climate change to be real and substantial, and seeks to be the leader of the world in this matter.[/su_pullquote]

Some other actions are more questionable in their execution, such as the construction of the largest dam in the world, the Three Gorge Dam. This dam is so massive that it can power several provinces at the time with almost no input and little need for upkeep. Once the government saw this great potential, there was nothing that could stop the motion—not the complaints from the coal industry and not the caution voiced by geologists. When the dam was finally completed in 2003, it brought both bounty and distress: on the one hand, it boosted hydro-energy to 20 percent of China’s total energy production. On the other hand, it also caused the forceful dislocation of hundreds of thousands of people and a critical blow to the local biological equilibrium, pushing several species to the verge of extinction.

Some of China’s environmental policies are downright inhumane. In the last winter, the government banned using coal power for heating in Hebei Province (its winter temperature is like St. Louis’) to try to shock the market. This ridiculous policy caused hundreds to catch serious frostbite and several alleged deaths as the people simply couldn’t afford alternative fuel sources for heat.

As for the issue of pollution, China faces challenges in regulating the underdeveloped steel sector. Steel factories can be typically found in China’s northern regions near the capital, such as Shandong Province and Hebei Province. They operate in extreme inefficiency and use primitive production methods. This results in high energy consumption, low-quality products, and byproducts of pollution such as smog. The Chinese government has many incentives to shut down these factories. The obvious reason is that the smog created by these factories stirs great dissatisfaction among the population, especially after the release of the documentary Under the Dome. The backlash against the government’s lack of regulation of PM2.5 (the major detrimental particles within smog), as well as the intentionally falsified monitoring data, were hotly discussed issues back in 2015, dealing a huge blow to the government’s credibility. Another reason the Chinses government wishes to regulate these factories is the ‘market-flooding’ problem caused by the low-quality of steel production. As a massive amount of low-quality steel enters the market, the price of steel sinks to the point at which there is barely any profit left for the producers. This creates a negative feedback loop: the producers get no profit, making them unable to upgrade their factory, preventing cleaner and more efficient methods, and ultimately forcing them to stay inside the mire of this status quo.[su_pullquote]The backlash against the government’s lack of regulation of PM2.5, as well as the intentionally falsified monitoring data, were hotly discussed issues back in 2015, dealing a huge blow to the government’s credibility.[/su_pullquote]

Despite all these reasons, the government barely did anything to mitigate the problem for a very simple reason: these people have nothing else to do. Take Juxiang, a small town within the Shandong Province, as an example. An overwhelming majority of the town’s 2,000-person working population relies solely on the mega steel factory for livelihood—working within the plant, delivering raw material for it, cooking lunch for the workers, etc. Were the government to forcefully shut down the plant, all of them would become unemployed. They would have virtually no viable alternative solution in sight as they lack skill, education, and opportunity. Needless to say, this would cause serious shock to the stability of the region, which would definitely be an unfavorable outcome for the Chinese government. Furthermore, Juxiang is but one within the thousands of towns that are facing an identical dilemma in the region. Any drastic change in environmental policy regarding these factories might as well be an invitation for social unrest or even outright uprising at the gates of the capital.[su_pullquote align=”right”]Juxiang is but one within the thousands of towns that are facing an identical dilemma in the region. Any drastic change in environmental policy regarding these factories might as well be an invitation for social unrest or even outright uprising at the gates of the capital.[/su_pullquote]

Of course, China should continue to listen to the criticism of the international community and make itself more environmentally friendly. However, the next time you question the environmental policy of China, a developing country with the 36th largest per-capita carbon footprint in the world, perhaps first ask yourself this: is your own country doing nearly enough?

Yiran Cheng studies in the College of Arts & Sciences. He can be reached at yirancheng@wustl.edu.

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