Environmental issues in China and the role of government Research Paper

Environmental issues in China and the role of government - Research Paper Example Being the member of the global community, China takes an active part in the international environmental protection affairs and conscientiously fulfills the accepted obligations. This testifies about the desire and intention of the Chinese government and Chinese people to protect the environment on our planet. The given paper will provide the overview of the efforts taken by China to protect the environment and discuss the state of the environment in the country. Large population size, comparatively low supply of natural resources per citizen, low level of economic and technical development are the conditions, which accompany the modernization of China (Ming). The process of social and economic development which led to the fast growth of the population, and the increase of consumer demand, intensified the tension in the supply of resources and ecological balance. In these conditions choosing the right development strategy became crucial tasks as future existence of China and its citiz ens depends on it. â€Å"All in all, China, with a total population of 1.3 billion, is faced with a challenging task concerning resources, the environment and sustainable development. This is also of great significance for sustainable development of mankind. ... With the purpose of the harmonious development of economy, society and the environment Chinese government has worked out a number of political directions aimed at the environmental protection. In 1990s the important step on the way to the solution of the problem of environmental protection was made on the global scale. The government worked our 10 important political directions concerning the environmental protection and the development in China. It was clearly stated that the long-term development strategy was the inevitable choice for China. â€Å"The Chinese Government increased input in this field, readjusted taxes on mineral resources, and raised the prices of crude and refined oil products. We adopted a policy to limit the expansion of businesses with high energy consumption, and encourage desulphurization in power plants and development of renewable energy. We improved the fee-collecting mechanism for treating wastewater and wastes out of daily lives, and set up a market-base d operating mechanism to control pollution. All this has played an effective role in preventing and controlling pollution† (Wenzhong). In March 1994 Chinese government presented the white paper on China’s population, environment and development in XXI century, which contained the general strategy, political directions and the plan of actions aimed at the long-term development of China taking into account the realities. China pays much attention to the legal construction in the field of environment. The Chinese Constitution states that the country takes measures on the preservation of the environment and struggles with different kinds of pollution. The state guarantees rational use of the natural resources and preserves the valuable species of animals and plants. No