Environmental Pollution and Protection in China

Environmental Pollution and Protection in China Zhigang Li State of Pollution by 1997 (Edmonds, 1999) • Water pollution – The seven major river systems have been badly polluted. – Ground water and coastal regions are polluted to various degrees. • Air pollution – All major Chinese city centres have SO2 emission levels which exceed legal limits. – NOx emission due to automobile traffic also exceed safety levels in city centres. State of Pollution by 1997 (continued) • Intensification of agriculture and the growing TVEs has increased pollution outside cities. – Chemical fertilizer and pesticide usage continues to climb. – China’s fertilizer usage per hectare is twice the world average. – Rural industrial wastes accounts for 38% of total sold wastes, 7% of industrial waste water, and 56% of industrial dust. State of Pollution by 1997 (continued) • Domestic waste – Rubbish in urban areas contains inorganic matter at levels similar to those in developed counties. – However, rubbish treatment technology may be lagging behind. E-Waste of China (Tong and Wang, 2004) More about E-waste • http://www.crra.com/ewaste/ttrash2 /ttrash2/ Population and Environment of China (Banister, 1998) Air Pollution and Mortality (Brajer and Mead, 2004) • Data – Pollution and population figures for 38 Chinese cities. – Pollution data are mostly from annual environmental report posted on the Internet by municipal environmental protection bureaus. Environmental cost of water pollution in Chongqing (Vennemo et al., 2001) • The waters of Chongqing are widely polluted – Almost half of the rivers are heavily or severely polluted by 1996. – Major pollutants: coliform bacteria, ammonia, oil, and other organic pollutants, and heavy metals. – Causes of pollution: industrial waste water, urban sewage, waste, soil erosion, and atmospheric deposition. Environmental Kuznets Curze (De Groot et al., 2004) • Environmental Kuznets Curve – A hump-shaped relationship between per capita income and pollution. Waste water (1982-97) Waste gas (1982-97) Solid Waste (1982-97) EKC (Shaw et al.) EKC between per capita income and SO2 EKC between per capita income and TSP EKC between per capita income and API (Air polution index) Anti-Pollution Institution and Policies (Vermeer, 1998) • State Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) – A nation-wide control network built in the 1980s – Partly supported by foreign project funding – Employees doubled between 1985 and 1995 to 88,000 people. – Very limited power: TVEs hardly monitored; inspection is uneven and infrequent. State Capacity and Environmental Protection Enforcement (Schwartz, 2003) • Measures of State Capacity – Human capital related to environmental education – Fiscal strength – Reach/responsiveness • Per capita income • Funds related to environmental protection • Media development • Compensation for pollution accidents • Complaining about pollution • Measures of Enforcement – Enforcement effectiveness is measured by the gap between emission targets (set by the central government) and actual emissions. Pollution Enforcement in China (Wang and Wheeler, 2003) • Data – Around 3,000 heavily polluting firms in China in 1993. – Self-reported pollution – Actual pollution levy China’s Pollution Levy System • The idea of a pollution charge system was adopted in 1978. • By 1982, 27 of 29 provinces in China established some pollution levy system. • Process – Self-reporting – Verification and collection of levies by local environmental authorities. • Effective levy rates vary significantly across Chinese provinces. Water Pollution Levy Rate in 1993 Wastewater Charge Air pollution charge Total Charge Distribution of Effective Pollution Levies Inspection, Pollution Prices, and Environmental Performance (Dasgupta et al. 2001)