China - Comparing Environmental Policies in 16 Countries - page 265

compared to 400,000 tons in the 1950s. More than 600 kilometers of its
length and almost 30% of its major tributaries are severely contaminated.
Lake Tai is the third largest freshwater lake in China. Located near
Shanghai, it is bordered by the smaller cities of Suzhou, Wuxi, and Yixing
that rely on it for drinking water. Nearly 3000 factories producing paper,
film, and dyes surround the lake. Nearby farms contribute phosphates.
Ironically, Yixing was designated as a “Model City for Environmental
Protection.” In 2007 an algae bloom of pond scum turned the lake
fluorescent green and generated a horrible smell. Its water became unsafe
for drinking or bathing.
Throughout China, protecting water from pollution forces SEPA (now
the Ministry of Environmental Protection) to balance pressure from
industry and municipalities against a few small citizen groups. Pressure
to build dams likewise comes from industry and government bodies like
the China Power Investment Corporation and the Huadian Corporation.
The forces on the side of industry are powerful. Many are big State Owned
Enterprises that continue to enjoy government and Party support even
after the economic reforms of the past three decades. Other major polluters
are the TVEs that also continue to enjoy government and Party support.
Air pollution is the worst in the world. According to a World Bank study,
16 of the 20 worst cities in the world are in China. Air quality in Beijing
is 16 times worse than in New York. Airports sometimes have to shut
down because of poor visibility. City dwellers virtually never see blue sky.
Weather forecasts have a special term for fairly clear days: “White clouds.”
Yet on such a day in the countryside or even in the suburbs the sky will
be blue. At the time of the 2008 Olympics, the Beijing municipal govern-
ment launched a campaign to minimize the pollution. The athletes needed
to breathe, and visitors should not have a bad impression. For several
weeks cement, steel, and electric generating plants were shut. Driving was
severely limited. For 16 days the air improved. Beijing, however, suffers
from a number of natural disadvantages. The region is arid, and dust from
the deserts to the west and north blows into the city.
The greatest source of air pollution, however, is the coal that is burned
by industry and households. Seventy percent of the country's total energy
comes from high-sulfur coal. Most electric generating plants (even new
ones) are not efficient, hence, consume more coal than would be the
case in advanced countries. Much comes from small mines that do not
wash the coal before sending it to the cities for burning. Rapid economic
growth leads to extensive construction of buildings and factories, hence