How far would you agree that corruption is the underlying cause of Chinas

environmental woes?
After Chinas opening up in 1978, the need to sustain high economic growth, the
key to social stability and political support for the CCP, has unleashed untold
damages to the environment, impeding governments efforts at reducing
pollution. While corruption has worsened Chinas environmental woes and
undermined the effectiveness of drastic and innovative measures undertaken by
the Chinese government to achieve sustained socio-economic growth rate,
Chinas environmental woe is largely a result of the incompatibility of
environmental conservation with Chinas economic development. Hence, this
essay seeks to argue that corruption is not fundamentally the underlying cause
of Chinas environmental woes and it is but an aggravating factor.
High economic growth targets set by the provinces have perpetually upset the
central governments measures at improving the environment. Relentless drive
of Chinas leaders to amass power, consolidate territory, develop the economy
and support a burgeoning population have led to the plundering of forests and
mineral resources, construct river diversion and leading to poor management
projects. The maxim first development, then environment was a common
rhetoric throughout in the 1980s and 1990s. By 2002, China had become home
to six of the most polluted cities in the world. More than 75% of the water in
rivers flowing through Chinas urban areas was unsuitable for drinking or fishing.
Devolution of authority to provincial and local officials has led to a free rein to
concentrate energies on economic growth, pushing aside environmental
consideration. Small scale privately run cottage industries that have fuelled
much of Chinas growth are difficult to regulate and pose a greater threat to the
environment than SOEs.
The focus on low-cost primary and secondary industries, a major reason for
Chinas high growth rate, has been detrimental to the governmental policies at
improving the environment. Chinas economic success which is based largely on
industrialization renders its economic growth incompatible with pollution control
due to the conflicting nature of the two. Air and water pollution have been
worsened by Chinas heavy reliance on coal for energy. Since 2007, China has
taken over the US for the first time as the worlds top producer of greenhouse
gases. This is worsened by the greater dependence on motor vehicles as the
basic means of transport to navigate around China and the problem of centralregional relations where provincial officials often ignore the regulatory limits
mete out by Beijing. Water and air pollution as of 2012 is estimated to have
caused 750,000 premature deaths and around 8% of GDP. Worst of all, scaling
back of either of the two could upset socio-political stability, as the foundation of
Chinese economic development is in conflict with the environmental rights of the
citizens.
Governments strategies to resolve pollution in the cities are challenged by rising
affluence and rapid urbanization, consequences of rapid economic growth. China
is the worlds largest consumer and producer of coal, which accounts for about
2/3 of its energy needs. China depends on coal for more than of its electricity
and also to fuel centralized winter heating systems in northern cities. In 2010,
the World Bank says China uses up to twice per unit of output as the US, Japan
and other economies. Chinese officials say energy use is 3.4 times the world
average. In November 2010, the Paris based International Energy Agency said
China has surpassed the US to become the worlds biggest overall energy

consumer. Today it is the fastest growing consumer of oil in the world, ahead of
energy-efficient Japan and second only to the US in terms of total consumption
and imports. The average annual growth in energy needs in 3.2%. While the
consumption of energy is not in itself a curse, it harms the environment.
However, Chinas environmental problems are in part due to corruption because
the lack of rule of law undermines the effectiveness of many governmental
policies to improve the environment. Chinese producers violate environmental
protection laws to reduce cost of production. More importantly, local government
officials to allow pollution to take place illegally in order to promote a higher rate
of economic growth and the central governmental cannot control them. Local
government officials benefit from higher levels of output in their region as they
receive credits for economic development and sometimes bribes from pollution
producers. These factors will continue to hinder the enforcement of
environmental laws for some time to come.
Moreover, corruption also perpetuates the continual jeopardy of the environment
for the sake of economic growth by offsetting areas of success in improving the
environment. Devolution of authority to provincial and local official has led to a
free rein to concentrate energies on economic growth, pushing aside
environmental considerations. In many regions, land, water and forest resources
are squandered without considering necessity of conservation or replenishment
of natural resources. Privately run cottage industries that have fuelled much of
Chinas economic growth are difficult to regulate. They pose a greater threat to
the environment than the SOEs. Proliferation of tanneries, chemical and fertilizer
factories, makers of brick, tile, pottery and porcelain, small coal fired power
plants and pulp and paper factories have all contributed to a dramatic increase
in pollution outside Chinas major cities. By 2000, TVEs were estimated to be
estimated to be responsible for 50% of all pollutants nationally.
In conclusion, limited progress has been made with drastic and innovative
measures undertaken as the Chinese government realized the relevance of
environmental well-being to achieving sustained economic growth rate. However,
environmental conservation remains as a distant dream as enforcement of
policies is compromised by the local authorities, rapid industrialization and
urbanization. Therefore, Chinas strategies at environmental management have
been fundamentally impeded by its need for high growth rate as Chinas
developmental model is not friendly to its environmental and economic
development more often than not is prized over environmental conservation.