Who bears the environmental burden in China—An analysis of the distribution of industrial pollution sources?

Abstract

A remaining challenge for environmental inequality researchers is to translate the principles developed in the U.S. to China which is experiencing the staggering environmental impacts of its astounding economic growth and social changes. This study builds on U.S. contemporary environmental justice literature and examines the issue of environmental inequality in China through an analysis of the geographical distribution of industrial pollution sources in Henan province. This study attempts to answer two central questions: 1) whether environmental inequality exists in China and if it does, 2) what socioeconomic lenses can be used to identify environmental inequality. The study found that: 1) race and income—the two common lenses used in many U.S. studies play different roles in the Chinese context; 2) rural residents and especially rural migrants are disproportionately exposed to industrial pollution.