Report into the Implications of China's Growth
China is one of the world's major superpowers, however their growth has many implications on lots of different factors. The three factors I'm going to explore in this report is energy, land and water.
Energy China's amount of energy is fairly limited due to the fact that the country is of a geographical size - as a consequence it relies on other countries and geographical areas with plentiful supplies to gain its resources and energy in particular. China has made a huge contribution and investment into Africa's growth and in return Angola (with many oil supplies) gives 100 million barrels of oil to the country every day. This means that China gets the oil it desperately needs and Angola benefits from inward investment from China. China's desperation for energy is leading it to inward invest in other countries and schemes and is trying to depend lesson carbon-based fuels so hydropower is the alternative (below) - China is rich in coal reserves so has used this for a long time but this is not sustainable for the country. The government has set itself a target for 5% of total power consumption to be from renewable energy sources. Water China's rivers are being 'dammed' however, there has been much opposition to this. The Xiaonanhai Dam on the Yangzi River in Chongqing will cost $5.2 million. The quality and fertile nature of the soil makes it one of China's most productive places for farming - as a consequence the surrounding areas are densely populated with farmers benefiting from good harvests. The dam could destroy a rare fish preserve resulting in several endangered species being threatened. The politics of this dam is complicated with the authorities considering impacts but being more concerned about actually building the dams. China wants to pursue hydropower as a form of energy. A political positive of hydropower schemes continue with local government & builders have almost unlimited power to plan and approve projects, whereas environmental officials have almost no power to stop them. Land As China has considerable growth in terms of wealth, it will inevitably expand physically. More towns and cities will be created as well as large scale businesses and other facilities needing vast amounts of land. Since 1997, China has lost 8.2 million hectares due to industrialisation and urbanisation. China's need to grow physically will have massive implications on the environment there with habitats being destroyed, fields for farming being built on and general green spaces being lost. By 2030, agriculture productivity in the country will drop by 10%. China's decision to sign but not ratify the Kyoto Protocol means that it is not required to reduce its carbon emissions under the agreement - this means that more crops, plants, human health will be damaged. More land will be used if the effects of this has any impact on flora in the country. |
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