China's Coming Environmental Crisis

You might ask what the political drama surrounding the selection of the Chinese leader has to do with a future environmental crisis in that country. The answer lies in the character of the two political systems and government's role in the economy, as well as demographic differences.

China is a very large country, with an even larger population compared to the U.S., and certainly India, its Asian rival. However, its fresh water supply is being taxed to the limit and grows more polluted by the day. Even China's tightly controlled media has taken notice of illegal industrial discharges, and "cancer villages" stricken by the aftermath of polluted air and drinking water.

One of the biggest enablers of China's pollution is its municipal and provincial governments, who are under pressure to spur economic growth without regard for future environmental consequences. Even ambitious, well-intentioned projects  such as the Three Gorges dam, have had adverse effects on fish, wildlife, and drinking water.

China's central government, engrossed in the once-every-ten-years selection of leaders, is in no position to exert a firm hand to manage and monitor these local governmental projects. One can only hope that this posture changes quickly, for the sake of both China, and the rest of the planet.

As observed by the English environmentalist Roger Scruton, "America has this wonderful ability to recover from its own mistakes,which is why it's so hugely superior to China...there is no reverse gear in China, there is no corrective procedure... It will always come up against a wall."