Ecology Essay Sample: How China Can Deal With Environmental Degradation

Over the recent years, China has experienced one of the worst environmental challenges in the countrys modern history. The nations rapid economic expansion and industrialization continue to be a major source of environmental pollution. Being the second-largest economy in the world in terms of GDP and its economic status as a developing nation, it is no surprise that the country is facing serious environmental problems similar to those that affected some developed nations after the Second World War. Just like other developing nations, Beijing is feeling the wrath of climate change caused by the increase in global atmospheric temperatures. The resource-intensive economic model has also led to desertification and pollution of the countrys land, water, and air. For instance, more than two-thirds of Chinas cities do not meet air quality standards as specified by environmental protection authorities (Economy 184-85). At the same time, government efforts and those of private actors have shown positive signs towards the resolution of Chinas environmental challenges. However, only radical measures from the government and the private players would guarantee a sustained economic growth while keeping environmental degradation in check.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

The mass movement of populations to ecological villages has been identified as one of the approaches that can be expanded to end environmental degradation, especially in the rural areas. Climate change and poor farming methods have led to desertification of rural areas of China. In the countryside, villagers have little information regarding the adoption of agricultural techniques that help to conserve the environment (Wong n.p; Economy 184-85).As a result, a combination of rudimentary agricultural practices and widespread drought requires drastic government responses such as mass movement of populations to areas where their ecological activities can be monitored so as to ensure they conform to environmental pollution regulations. Also, in the ecological villages government agencies can be in a position to offer agricultural extension services to villagers in regards to the best practices that conserve soil and vegetation. According to Wong, migration programs have given way for government agencies to institute reforestation programs in the abandoned villages. Reports from such initiatives show that vegetation cover has increased significantly in areas that have been taken by the government for reforestation efforts (n.p).These programs should be continued in larger scale to create room for revitalization efforts.

Despite the noble intentions of government to resettle villagers away from the degraded regions, the programs continue to receive resistance across the country as most villagers are not ready to move away from the ancestral lands (Wong n.p).Under such circumstances, the government should use force to make massive transfers especially in the northern parts of the country which have been significantly affected by environmental degradation and extreme weather conditions. These actions would ensure that further degradation activities do not continue as well as accord the government an opportunity to restore vegetation in the affected areas.

Creation of awareness relating to environmental conservation can play a significant part in reducing environmental degradation. A large number of farmers in the rural areas lack the requisite skills and knowledge in regards to eco-friendly practices (Wong n.p).The inadequate knowledge about climate change among farmers creates favorable conditions for overuse of grazing areas and cutting down of trees which increase the level of concentration of carbon dioxide. These practices have been responsible for most of the desertification. Several incidents have been documented concerning the role of inadequate knowledge about climate change to the pollution of the environment. According to Wong, agricultural production in some regions of China continues to rely on small-scale farming which has been cited as one of the leading causes of environmental degradation. The agricultural land is repeatedly cultivated, and as such, little concern is given to the conservation of vegetation (n.p).To solve this problem, the government will have enforce strict supervision of agricultural activities or lease such lands to institutions that are better-position to observe agricultural practices that conserve the environment

Lack of awareness has also been witnessed among livestock farmers. In 2013, farmers in Zhejiang province slaughtered 16,000 diseased pigs and disposed them into a waterway that flowed into major rivers that passed through the city of Shanghai. This action was in contravention of existing laws. The laws require that such disposals be buried or cremated (Economy 184).Some scholars point to the weaknesses in the law, but the lack of awareness of the dangers of disposing dead animals into rivers is a major factor that needs to be addressed. Perhaps, awareness interventions from the government would have provided the farmers with adequate information relating to the effect of the dead animals on aquatic life as well as those of fellow citizens downstream. In this regard, aggressive government campaigns and sensitization programs can improve the level of awareness among farmers thereby reducing the incidences of agricultural practices that pollute the soil or rivers.

For positive results to be realized in regards to awareness creation, the government must focus its refocus its efforts at the grassroots level. As noted earlier, environmental degradation through rudimentary heating and agricultural practices have been mostly witnessed in the rural areas. As more and more cities become polluted, pressure continues to increase on the government to move chemical production plants to isolated areas (Kan 530-31). As a result, villagers are put at the receiving end of new industrial installations by the government. As Kan notes, the level of awareness at the grassroots partly is to blame for the muted response from villagers to pollutant government projects (531).These locals do not have adequate information on the health implications of some government-sponsored projects. To this end, grassroots empowerment would engender the development of advocacy groups that would petition government actions at the administration units. Such actions would raise consciousness among the people and create a conducive atmosphere for the development of social movements against pollution and degradation of the environment.

Social movements offer one of the greatest opportunities to deal with the effects of climate change. Although China has one of the worst records regarding the protection of the freedoms of speech, people can always find a channel to voice their concerns relating to the destruction of the environment. According to Stalley and Yang, social movements have achieved significant results in democracies with similar limitations to democratic space such as China (335-37). However, environmental movements must sustain their efforts as well as include all stakeholders for meaningful results to be realized. Also, clear guidelines and expected outcomes must be designed to provide the framework upon which action efforts should be directed.

Until recently, social action efforts were not a common occurrence in China. There had been an active green community in the country, but the non-confrontational nature of this environmentalism has recorded minimal results (Stally and Yang 333-34).Partly, the inactivity of social movements is due to the limited democratic space for citizens to express their dissatisfaction on matters relating to environmental conservation. However, there were isolated cases of dissent against the government which has prepared the ground for environmental activism in China. Today, concern for the protection of the environment is present in the Chinese society from senior state organs to grassroots social organizations (Stally and 333).This level of awareness shows a potential of a confrontation social movement that would pressure the government to adopt policies that would protect the ecosystem.

Studies conducted by Stally and Yang regarding the potential of university students to be agents of environmental activism indicate that young people have a high awareness about environmental conservation but consider the government as best-suited to tackle such issues (344).According to Stally and Yang, the trust in government efforts results in the success the government has recorded in managing the countrys economy over the last few decades. Again, this level of consciousness provides the activists with an opportunity to influence young people towards conservation efforts. On the same note, the level of awareness of the middle class in regards to environmental issues has increased significantly in the recent years. The Chinese middle class has begun to understand the short term benefits of rapid economic growth and the long-term health implications of such developments (Economy 185).According to Economy the middle class are using the power of the internet to influence policy at the local level. NGOs and environmental activists and government agencies can capitalize on this level of awareness to stir up support for conservation initiatives.

Since the efforts of environmental conservation cannot be left only to governments efforts, the formation of a social movement that involves university students, the middle class, the villagers and the wider public can make a significant contribution towards clean land, air, and water. Through such a coalition, environmental activists may organize mass action or violent, resistant confrontation with government whenever its authorities and institutions fail to adhere to environmentally-clean standards. The proliferation of digital technologies offers the opportunity for people to mobilize for conservation causes. Today, political dissent and environmental activism are widespread in Chinese cyberspace (Sullivan and Xie 423), offering the opportunity to create social networks that can be exploited for environmental protests and confrontations.

Already, protests and confrontations have recorded some positive results in the conservation efforts. Hoffman and Sullivan report that mass environmental protests have been conducted in different parts of the country (which in some cases involved violent confrontations) to dissent against coal-fired plants, industrial waste incinerator projects, and polluting chemical plants. For instance, in June 2015, thousands of residents of Wuchuan city in southern Guangdong opposed plans to construct an industrial waste incinerator near homes citing health risks (n.p). Elsewhere, protests have made a significant contribution to the evolution of a participatory political climate in Taiwan. In the late 1990s, protests by local communities against air and water pollution received support from intellectuals, professors, and journalists, culminating in positive responses from the government (Economy 190-91). Such actions can yield similar results if action groups such as Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) operate in an environment that is devoid of tight regulation.

Government deregulation of NGOs can go a long way in boosting the level of awareness among the public through civic education as well as push for policy reforms for environmental safety. The success of NGOs in the protection of the environment across the world is well-documented. In other developing nations, Economy notes that NGOs continue to play a crucial role in educating policy makers and holding them to account for any government activities that undermine the principles and aspirations of environmental protection initiatives (190).The difference between government actions...