Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
child. This law does not apply to minority groups or many rural areas. Among other penalties, the conse-
quences of having more than one child without a permit is a heavy fine. There have been reports that people
have lost jobs, land, livestock, healthcare, and other privileges. Forced abortions and sterilizations are also said
to have occurred, and extensive measures have been taken to collect unpaid fines. Couples who delay child-
bearing or who have only one child are rewarded in various ways, including longer maternity leave, higher
salaries, better healthcare, and priority in school enrollment.
Because of social and cultural pressures, many Chinese families prefer a male child. This combined with the
opportunity to have only one child, leads to prenatal sex discrimination, in which a high number of female chil-
dren are aborted. In an attempt to alleviate this issue, it is now illegal to determine the sex of a baby prior to
birth, although some places still offer this practice illegally. Male preference has altered China's sex ratio,
which is now 120 males for every 100 females, leaving many males without partners.
While low or declining population growth has many benefits, there are negative consequences as well. Because
there are fewer working-age individuals and more elderly, there is more pressure on younger people to take
care of their aging parents. There is also a smaller labor market and fewer people to enter the military. The
aging population also takes an economic toll, as more money is required to care for the retired and elderly.
The "one-child" policy has seen great success in reducing the population and growth rate in China. It has also
reduced pressures on food supplies. Economic stability is prevalent as people have been able to spend and in-
vest money rather than spending it on child rearing. Because of its success, the "one-child" policy has been re-
instated for at least the next ten years.
Easter Island: Tragedy of the Commons
The civilization of Easter Island ended due to destruction of the local environment. Off the coast of South
America in the Pacific Ocean, Easter Island was once covered with dense forest and, until 2,500 years ago, was
home to a thriving society. Unfortunately, the people who lived on Easter Island overused their re-
sources—namely, the timber—and started to deplete their supplies.
The trees provided shelter, fuel, tools, boats, and nets, and were used for many other functions, providing the
basis of the civilization's survival. As timber became scarce, people were unable to make canoes and rope,
which affected their ability to fish and travel away from the island. When resources were depleted even further,
food sources declined. With a lack of vegetation and trees, freshwater levels declined, erosion became preval-
ent, and crop yields declined. Famine spread, fueling both the death of the islanders and fighting over the re-
maining food and resources. Eventually, clashes and theft became commonplace. When the remaining people
were found on Easter Island in 1722, they were living in caves, hungry, on treeless land.
The decline of the civilization on Easter Island is an example of a "tragedy of the commons," in which an un-
regulated resource is overexploited and used unsustainably, ultimately depleting the resource beyond recovery.
Because it is in every individual's best interest to exploit rather than conserve, over time resources are lost and
all suffer. There are many modern examples of tragedies of the commons.
Biosphere 2
To help further study the interconnectedness of agents within ecosystems, and the ecosystems themselves, a
man-made closed, self-contained network of ecosystems was created with the intention of having eight people
live there for two years. This facility, called Biosphere 2, was started outside Tucson, Arizona, in 1991.
Designers imagined that the ecosystems would naturally recycle air, nutrients, and water necessary for survival
