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China's Environmental Problems - Contemporary Environmental Problems

15 important questions on China's Environmental Problems - Contemporary Environmental Problems

Some eastern and northern cities have sunk due to water loss. What can be the consequences of subsiding?

It can lead to floods during storms and it can destroy building foundations.

What has the government done in response to the water shortages?

They have set up projects to move water north (e.g. via the Grand Canal or from the Three Gorges Dam).
They have increased charges for organizations using irrigation water and have advocated dry-land farming
Water quotas have been assigned to industries.

Why is it expected that household water use will become more wasteful in the future?

As income increases, more people will move from older houses into homes with modern plumbing and domestic water consumption will then increase.

Why has China's water shortage problem become an international issue?

Because China has build dams in the upper reaches of rivers that flow into other countries; this has caused concerns in Southeast and South Asia.

How did China stop the decline of forestry?

By establishing the foresty responsibility system in the 1980s, which includes quotas and fines.

In addition, the Obligatory Tree-planting program (established in 1981) requires all Chinese citizens above 11 years old to plant 3 to 5 trees each year or to do other forestry work.

However, many of the natural forests that remained have also been saved by inaccessibility.

How has rapid soil erosion contributed to China's environmental degradation?

Riverbeds, lakes and reservoirs are silting up and have had their hydroelectric and flood control storage capacity reduced. In addition, the loss of good-quality topsoil has reduced arable land and might cause serious food shortages in the future.

What has been the main cause of the severe soil erosion?

The soil erosion largely resulted from policies implemented since 1950s that opened steep slopes, formerly forested areas and wetlands to farming. Population growth also makes it difficult to reduce population numbers on the land.

Some of the forest areas which had been opened up to farming have been returned to forests and herding. However in many of the eroded areas it is hard to persuade peasants to change to forestry or to enforce policies. Why?

Because these areas are generally poor and hard to reach with grain shipments during the transition from agriculture to forestry or herding.

What has the government done to tackle soil erosion?

A massive area of eroded land has been planted with trees or terraced
Tens of thousands of check dams have been built across small gullies to control erosion.
The focus has now shifted from individual plots to entire river basins and from central to local governments.
Some of the eroded land has been returned to forestry and herding.

On Hainan island and in nearby southern regions, China's paddy lands suffer from gleization. What is it and why does it occur?

Gleization is the depletion of oxygen from iron compounds in the soil and it reduces the land's ability to grow rice or other crops. It occurs when rice is the only grown crop in the floody wet-padded fields in combination with poor drainage.

What will happen if the glaciers will continue to melt at this rate?

At this rate, nearly all glaciers could be gone by the end of the 21st century, leaving many rivers (e.g. the Yellow and Yangtze rivers) without a steady water source. This in turn will speed desertification (which in turn can lead to sand and dust storms that have economic damage).

What has caused increased salinization and alkanization?

Inefficient drainage and excessive irrigation. Also, overpumping in coastal areas has allowed saltwater to seep into groundwater supply.

Many wetlands which helped dissipate excess water during floods periods have been destroyed during the Great Leap Forward for major land reclamation projects. This has also led to salinization of flooded areas.

Pollution of surface water is a serious problem in China. Name a negative consequence of this problem.

For example:

a World Bank report published in 2007 suggested that 60.000 premature deaths were attributable to poor-quality water on a yearly basis.
It results in more than US$21 billion a year in losses.

Many small rivers in China have become anoxic. What does this mean?

It means that these rivers are no longer able to sustain aquatic life.

In the period of communization, China was succesful in integrated pest management. What is that and why was it succesful at that time?

Integrated pest management means that various combinations of plants and animals are used instead of pesticides. This can only be a succesful method if practiced over a wide area, which was possible at that time because of the communization. When communization ended and people returned to family farming, pesticides returned (which is often nitrogren-rich and polluting the soil).

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The question on the page originate from the summary of the following study material:

Understanding contemporary China | 9781588268440 | Robert E Gamer

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China's Environmental Problems - Contemporary Environmental Problems

15 important questions on China's Environmental Problems - Contemporary Environmental Problems

Some eastern and northern cities have sunk due to water loss. What can be the consequences of subsiding?

What has the government done in response to the water shortages?

Why is it expected that household water use will become more wasteful in the future?

Why has China's water shortage problem become an international issue?

How did China stop the decline of forestry?

How has rapid soil erosion contributed to China's environmental degradation?

What has been the main cause of the severe soil erosion?

Some of the forest areas which had been opened up to farming have been returned to forests and herding. However in many of the eroded areas it is hard to persuade peasants to change to forestry or to enforce policies. Why?

What has the government done to tackle soil erosion?

On Hainan island and in nearby southern regions, China's paddy lands suffer from gleization. What is it and why does it occur?

What will happen if the glaciers will continue to melt at this rate?

What has caused increased salinization and alkanization?

Pollution of surface water is a serious problem in China. Name a negative consequence of this problem.

Many small rivers in China have become anoxic. What does this mean?

In the period of communization, China was succesful in integrated pest management. What is that and why was it succesful at that time?

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