Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
REFERENCES
Asia we can identify various issues of cross-border
environmental concerns, among them acid rain,
the Kosa phenomenon and Northeast Asia's CO2
emissions. However, China also faces fundamental
domestic environmental issues as water and air
pollution, loss of arable land, water shortage, and
various implications of global warming. Critically,
many environmental challenges China faces are
related to its economic success, the contemporary
process of urbanization we can observe in China,
as well as the willingness and ability of it emerging
middle class to consume. In this context, we may
recall that providing economic growth provides
a critical and fundamental contribution to politi-
cal legitimacy. However, economic development
must not always take precedence at the expense of
the environment and China is still in a position to
address its environmental issues by changing its
growth oriented development strategy. There are
indications that China's leadership increasingly
take the environmental question serious by formu-
lating several critical targets regarding emission
and pollution control issues to be reached in 2010.
In addition, there are other strong indications that
China's leadership increasingly note the critical
significance of environmental issues as various
political statements in government White Papers
and the inclusion of the environmental issue into
the work reports of various National Party Con-
gresses clearly indicating. However, the impacts
these political declarations generate are still less
visible than one would expect.
To what extent China will be able to reach these
goals will provide an indication to what degree
China will be able to address its environmental
issues. Crucially, addressing its environmental
challenges provide the 'challenges of an oppor-
tunity' for the Chinese government. Yet, turning
a crisis into an opportunity requires willingness
and the capacity to act. The success or failure of
addressing China's environmental issue will in-
dicate the government and the Party willingness
and capabilities to manage the environmental
challenges China and it population is facing.
Black, R. (2010, January 19). UN climate body
admits mistake on Himalayan glaciers.
BBC
News
. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/
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Brettel, A. (2007). Security, energy, and the en-
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The environmental dimension
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Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace.
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(pp.
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th
Party Congress.
(2007).
Hold high the great banner of socialism
with Chinese characteristics and strive for new
victories in building a moderately prosperous
society in all respects
. Retrieved from http://
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KPMG. (2007).
Momentum: Driving forces in
China's car market
. Retrieved from http://www.
kpmg.ch/ docs/ 20071221_Momentum_Driving_
Forces_in_Chinas_ Car_Market.pdf
National Bureau of Statistics of China
. (2010).
Retrieved from http://www.stats.gov.cn/ english/
statisticaldata/ yearlydata
REN21. (2008).
Renewables 2007 global status
report.
(Paris: REN21 Secretariat and Washington,
DC:Worldwatch Institute). Deutsche Gesellschaft
für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH.
Retrieved from http://www.ren21.net/ pdf/
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