Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
INTRODUCTION
in identifying and communicating environmental
issues before proceeding with an assessment of
China's specific environmental challenges. It will
thereafter address the related developments and
potential political implications. Although one may
argue, as the Copenhagen Summit did not produce
binding international agreements, the immediate
pressure in addressing environmental concerns
decreased for the Chinese government. Instead,
I argue, that such a view is misguided, as the en-
vironmental challenges China faces are as real as
ever and will intensify in their political, economic
and social implications as will the pressure on
the Chinese government to address these issues.
The essay will conclude with a comprehensive
assessment of the national Eleventh Five-Year
Plan (FYP) (2006-2010) and will consider the
security and international implications of China's
environmental challenges.
China's economic growth rate since the reform
process began is extraordinary and generated a
fundamental positive impact for the livelihood
of millions of Chinese people by providing eco-
nomic benefits and prosperity. However, several
social and economic challenges remain, as these
economic benefits are neither equally distributed
among China's population nor within China's vast
territory. Consequently, we can identify both a
rural-urban divide as well as an increasing gap
of economic development within and between
provinces. In addition, various new challenges
emerged, one such critical challenge, which has
become increasing prominent over time, is the
environmental issue. The potential negative im-
plications climate change has on China's future
development and on the quality of life of China's
population will almost certainly intensify in the
years to come. Yet, the environmental question
represents a complex issue with far-reaching
implications and various aspects need to be ad-
dressed. Among them, we can identify: the nature
of environmental degeneration; its close link with
development and the inherent political implica-
tions and challenges faced when addressing issues
of environmental degeneration; as well as the
international dimensions of various environmental
issues. In this context, identifying the historical
and social origins of specific environmental chal-
lenges are of crucial importance for developing a
comprehensive understanding into the challenges
faced, highlighting that environmental challenges
not only inherent a political-economic dimension
but a social dimension as well. Consequently, ad-
dressing specific environmental challenges will
not only require economic-technical solutions but
may also require addressing underlining social-
political dimensions as well.
This chapter will evaluate the underlining chal-
lenges environmental degeneration and climate
change pose for China's future development, and
THE UNDERLINING COMPLEXITY
OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE:
SCIENTIFIC PROBABILITIES;
POLITICAL AGENDAS AND THE
CONCRETENESS OF SPECIFIC
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
When addressing and evaluating the complexity
of the environmental issues, it is crucial to iden-
tify certain fundamental and critical issues from
the onset. One such fundamental issue within the
environmental impact debate relates to the ongo-
ing and critical discourse, regarding two critical
agendas: one is scientific the other is political.
The scientific agenda relates to the authoritative
assessment of a specific threat scenario, whereas
the political agenda focuses on the formation of
concern in the public sphere and the allocation
or non-allocation of resources in dealing with
specific environmental challenges. 2 It is crucial
to be aware, that both agendas inherit a critical
role considering the perception and the response
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