Water Pollution In China Research Articles

Model of transfer tax on transboundary water pollution in China’s river basin

Transboundary water pollution is a persistent problem in China. This study proposes a Model of Transfer Tax (MTT) which incorporates a typical Stackelberg game between the administrator and individual region of a river basin. The MMT model considers the geographic structure of a river basin and can be used to compute an optimal pollutant transfer tax rate. Given the tax rate, an individual region can decide its optimal pollution reduction. The transfer tax rate serves as an ecological compensation standard that enhances cooperation on pollution reduction among the regions, achieving the minimum pollution reduction cost for the whole river basin.

Trans-jurisdictional pollution control options within an integrated water resources management framework in water-scarce north-eastern China

The extent and severity of water pollution in China is well known, as is the fact that until the 11th Five Year Plan (FYP) in 2006, much greater importance was placed on economic growth than environmental protection. There were few incentives to reduce pollution owing to an inadequate legal framework, the absence of economic measures for pollution control in favour of a command-and-control approach, and weak enforcement. Passing through four provinces and Tianjin Municipality, Zhangweinan River (Canal) Basin, part of the water-scarce Haihe River system in north-eastern China, provides an example of the types of trans-jurisdictional water pollution disputes that are common throughout China owing to inadequate application of integrated water resources management (IWRM) principles. The Zhangweinan River has a decreasing flow downstream and virtually zero assimilation capacity owing to waste loads that are vastly larger than the assimilation capacity of the river system. The fact that these trans-jurisdictional issues keep arising and, for the most part, are never resolved, reflects the failure of IWRM governance in this basin. We explore legal, institutional, planning, technical and market measures that would greatly reduce trans-jurisdictional disputes and contribute to successful IWRM in China.

Biomass accumulations and nutrient uptake of plants cultivated on artificial floating beds in China's rural area

Focused on water pollution in China's rural area, taking Oenanthe javanica (Oj), Gypsophila sp. (Gy), Rohdea japonica (Rj), Dracaena sanderiana (Ds), Gardenia jasminoides Var. grandiflora (Gg), Gardenia jasminoides Var. prostrata (Gp), and Salix babylonica (Sb) as research objects, this paper investigated the growth characteristics and nutrient uptake of these seven species cultivated on artificial floating beds. The results indicated that after about 130 days’ acclimation, these seven species had different growth characteristics. The survival rates of each species were close to 100%. Dry matter biomass ranged from 33.7 to 307.1 g m −2 in the following order: Sb > Gy > Oj > Ds > Gg > Gp > Rj. There were significant linear relationships between above-water and under-water biomass ( R > 0.875); thus, the above-water biomass could best reflect the under-water biomass. N and P concentrations and distribution in the root, stem and leaf were quite different both within and between the species. N and P concentrations in plant body ranged from 15.31 to 23.15 g kg −1 in the relationship Oj > Ds > Gy > Gp > Sb > Rj > Gg, and from 1.07 to 1.89 g kg −1 in the relationship Rj > Gp > Oj > Gg > Gy > Sb > Ds, respectively. N and P accumulations ranged from 0.51 to 4.48 g m −2 and from 0.062 to 0.331 g m −2, respectively, in which plant nutrient uptake ability could be placed as follows: Sb > Gy > Oj > Ds > Gp/Gg > Rj. The outcomes also indicated that there were positive and significant linear relationships between N and P accumulations and plant biomass ( R > 0.964), respectively; thus, plant harvest could be a means of taking N and P out of wastewater. Seven species, especially Sb, Gy, and Oj, had an ideal effect on TN and TP removal and could be widely utilized for the treatment of wastewater in rural areas.

Made in China: Cancer Villages

High incidences of cancer have been reported for villages almost all over China and become an inescapable reality in polluted rural areas [16]. A new phenomenon has appeared in China: Aizheng Cun, ...

Research on Identifying Important Coefficients in Chinese Sectors with High Industrial Wastewater Discharge

The industrial wastewater is one of the main sources of water pollution in China. Identifying important coefficients in the sectors with highly discharged wastewater provides government the rule of reducing discharge from the point of industrial association. This paper develops the losing information method, and then determines the important coefficients in sectors of industrial wastewater in 2002 and 2005.

Do Chinese Environmental Laws Work? A Study of Litigation as a Response to the Problem of Fishery Pollution in China

COMMENTS DO CHINESE ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS WORK? A STUDY OF LITIGATION AS A RESPONSE TO THE PROBLEM OF FISHERY POLLUTION IN CHINA Joseph McMullinl Recipient of the 2009 Award for Outstanding Writing on China Law and Policy from the China Law Association at the UCLA School of Law TABLE OF CONTENTS Do Chinese Environmental Laws Work? A Study of Litigation as a Response to the Problem of Fishery Pollution in China I. Introduction II. Water Pollution in China: Its Overall Effects on Fisheries, the Environment, and Chinese Society .. a. National Statistics on Water Pollution ......... b. Sources of Water Pollution c. Regional Impacts: The Bohai Gulf d. Social Implications of Water Pollution ......... III. Chinese Laws Regulating Water Pollution: Strengths and Weaknesses IV. The Difficulties of Enforcing Water Pollution Laws in C hina a. China's Difficulty of Detecting Polluters ....... i. Industries Take Proactive Steps to Hide Pollution 1. The author would like to thank Donald Clarke, He Xin, Randall Peer- enboom, and Frank Upham for their encouragement and helpful comments. A copy of the paper with Chinese characters is available upon request to the author, reach- able at: mcmullin.joseph@gmail.com.

The China Environment Yearbook: Volume 3, Crises and Opportunities (review)

Reviewed by: The China Environment Yearbook: Volume 3, Crises and Opportunities Herman F. Huang (bio) Yang Dongping, editor. The China Environment Yearbook: Volume 3, Crises and Opportunities. Leiden: Brill, 2009. xxiii, 281 pp. Hardcover $169.00, isbn 978-90-04-17349-1. China's extraordinary economic expansion began in the 1980s and continues to this day. While many other countries are slowly recovering from the recent global economic downturn, China's gross domestic product (GDP) is forecast to grow by 9.5 percent in 2010.1 Three decades of phenomenal growth have left widespread environmental degradation in its wake. For example, the total cost of air and water pollution in China is estimated to be 5.8 percent of its GDP.2 Repeated pollution incidents over the years have harmed local residents' health and livelihood. In mid-2010, an accident at a copper processing plant in Fujian Province sent acidic wastewater into a river, killing thousands of fish. Police detained three company officials, and the county's head of environmental protection resigned.3 In response to these conditions, the Chinese government established a target of reducing air and water pollution by 10 percent in its Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2006–2010). Activists and concerned citizens are also taking action to protect the environment. The China Environment Yearbook, Volume 3, Crises and Opportunities examines the state of China's environment in 2007 and discusses the activities undertaken by government agencies, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and the public to address environmental problems. (The first and second volumes of the China Environment Yearbook series were previously reviewed in China Review International.) This book is the translation of Huanjing lü pi shu: Zhongguo huanjing de weiji yu zhuanji (2008) (环境绿皮书: 中国环境的危机与转机 [2008]), edited by Yang Dongping 杨东平 and published in Beijing by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in 2008. Yang is cofounder and president of the Friends of Nature, China's first official environmental NGO. Altogether, the book has twenty-two contributors, including university faculty, graduate students, NGO staff, and journalists. This yearbook is composed of an introduction, sixteen unnumbered chapters, and an appendix. The introduction establishes the context of China's main environmental issues in 2007. The first chapter, aptly titled "China's Long Green March: Crises and Opportunities," serves as an overview of the book. The remainder of the book is organized into five parts: "Water Crisis," "Climate Change," "Urban Environment," "Public Policy and Public Participation," and "Appendix." Part 1 consists of three chapters focusing on rural and urban water quality. An algae bloom in Taihu Lake (Jiangsu Province) prompted public questioning of the prevailing economic development model and government implementation of pollution prevention and treatment measures (Zhang Ke, pp. 39–52). Jiang Mingzhuo discusses pollution of city water supplies and recommends countermeasures (pp. 53–61). Wang Yongchen (pp. 63–77) explores the Yangtze River's ecological [End Page 576] problems, including the overexploitation of hydropower resources, the decline of biodiversity, and the impact of the Three Gorges Dam. In part 2, Liu Haiying examines the impact of climate change on China and how NGOs have reacted (pp. 81–97). China was affected by many extreme weather events in 2007, among them heavy rainfalls, snowstorms, droughts, heat waves, and typhoons (Huang Lei, pp. 99–111). Fu Tao cites examples of international and Chinese NGO activities to combat climate change (pp. 113–123). Although most Chinese ages twenty-one to forty are aware of the causes and consequences of climate change, their attitudes toward the acquisition of houses and cars suggest a lack of concern (Zhang Kejia, pp. 125–133). The four chapters in part 3 contain case studies of improving the urban environment. Activities undertaken to make the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games a "Green Olympics" included downsizing stadiums, reducing air pollution, opening new subway lines, and restricting vehicle use (Li Jiao, pp. 137–151). Feng Yongfeng states that "Beijing should take the golden opportunity of the Olympics, revise its strategies on environmental improvement and ecological restoration, launch a series of activities, shape new values and concepts, and establish effective mechanisms for building an eco-city" (p. 153). Enhanced efforts to conserve energy and reduce emissions in the industrial sector are showing results, but much remains...

Water Pollution in China: How Can Business Influence for Good?

Despite China's comprehensive system of environmental laws and standards, poor water quality is widespread. This has significant detrimental effects on Chinese society and business, and causes serious economic losses. Academic commentary on this issue has largely focused on increasing the effectiveness of government enforcement of laws related to water pollution. However, effective enforcement will depend on legal and institutional reform, and problems are unlikely to be solved quickly. As a result, it is necessary to look beyond the state. This paper argues that some businesses, here termed ‘influencing firms’, have significant capacity to influence other businesses (‘target firms’) to improve China's environmental situation. This paper brings together recent empirical research, documented case studies, and public corporate reports to demonstrate how and why influential firms can and should use their influence for environmental good in this context. Four key tools are suggested for influencing firms to encourage improved environmental management in target firms: (1) green supply chain management measures; (2) influencing through business groups; (3) publishing environmental performance reports; and (4) forming alliances with environmental groups.

POLLUTION IN CHINA Environment agency will survey emissions nationwide

Next month, China’s State Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) will begin the country’s first national survey of pollution sources. Through this census, SEPA plans to identify sources of industrial, agricultural, and residential pollution throughout China. The survey will also tally the number of waste-treatment plants that are operating in the country. Data collection will take two months, and the full report will be ready in about a year. SEPA expects to spend more than $100 million on the project. To encourage officials throughout China to provide accurate data, SEPA has promised that the survey will not be used as a performance assessment tool. “I think this survey will be very important in enabling policy-making and for supporting the government’s management of environmental controls,” says Ma Jun, head of the Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs, a Beijing-based group that has been collecting data on water pollution in China. However, the government does not plan to publicly ...

Rural industries and water pollution in China

Water pollution from small rural industries is a serious problem throughout China. Over half of all river sections monitored for water quality are rated as being unsafe for human contact, and this pollution is estimated to cost several per cent of GDP. While China has some of the toughest environmental protection laws in the world, the implementation of these laws in rural areas is not effective. This paper explains the reasons for this implementation gap. It argues that the factors that have underpinned the economic success of rural industry are precisely the same factors that cause water pollution from rural industry to remain such a serious problem in China. This means that the control of rural water pollution is not simply a technical problem of designing a more appropriate governance system, or finding better policy instruments or more funding. Instead, solutions lie in changes in the model that underpins rural development in China.

Freshwater biomonitoring with macroinvertebrates in East Asia

This paper summarizes the history and current status of efforts to implement macroinvertebrate biomonitoring protocols for surface water pollution in China, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Russia (Far East), and Thailand. Impediments to biomonitoring in some of these countries include: (1) lack of knowledge about macroinvertebrate fauna and their tolerance values, especially during the aquatic, immature stages; (2) the scarcity of research programs and formal training opportunities for biomonitoring offered in universities; (3) the shortage of high-quality microscopes and other necessary equipment; and (4) limited government understanding and support for biomonitoring, few skilled regulatory staff, and the persistence of old and unusable biomonitoring protocols. A recently established regional network, the Aquatic Entomological Society of East Asia (AESEA), and several major recent publications are helping to coordinate and promote science and technology in East Asia.

Non-Point Source Water Pollution in China: Current Status and Future Prospects

The pollution impacts of different types of non-point source pollution (NSP) were identified on a large scale in the lower Great Lakes of North America in the 1970s, beginning with the eutrophication crisis in these lakes and subsequently expanding to toxic substances and endocrine disrupting substances. Since then, there has developed a large knowledge base on this subject. Especially in the United States, there is now an extensive legislative and administrative framework for non-point pollution management and control. Recently, China has recognized that non-point source pollution is a major contributing factor to water pollution in many parts of China. There has been recent work in several of the large lakes of China where eutrophication is severe. Elsewhere, factory farms contribute large pollutant loads. There are currently limited legal, administrative, or technical frameworks for evaluating or controlling non-point source pollution in China. As part of the reform of governance in China, the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) is examining the need for a legislative and operational framework to ensure that non-point source pollution is adequately evaluated within the larger context of water pollution control measures and to ensure appropriate cost efficiencies in pollution control investments. The overall status and legal framework for non-point source pollution control in China is examined in this paper. Parallels between China of today and North America of the 1970s are instructive for policy makers in China.

Economy and environment: China seeks a balance.

Research ArticleOpen AccessEconomy and environment: China seeks a balance. Charles W Schmidt Charles W Schmidt Search for more papers by this author Published:1 September 2002https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.110-a516Cited by:9AboutSectionsPDF ToolsDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InReddit FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited by Wu F, Wang W, Man Y, Chan C, Liu W, Tao S and Wong M (2015) Levels of PM 2.5 /PM 10 and associated metal(loid)s in rural households of Henan Province, China, Science of The Total Environment, 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.01.041, 512-513, (194-200), Online publication date: 1-Apr-2015. Baumgartner J, Schauer J, Ezzati M, Lu L, Cheng C, Patz J and Bautista L (2011) Patterns and predictors of personal exposure to indoor air pollution from biomass combustion among women and children in rural China, Indoor Air, 10.1111/j.1600-0668.2011.00730.x, 21:6, (479-488), Online publication date: 1-Dec-2011. Tao Q (2010) Determinants of Urban Environment Cost: Some Modification on the EKC 2010 International Conference on Management and Service Science (MASS 2010), 10.1109/ICMSS.2010.5576719, 978-1-4244-5325-2, (1-4) Wang W, Tao S, Wang W, Shen G, Zhao J and Lam K (2009) Airborne particulates and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in ambient air in Donghe, Northern China, Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A, 10.1080/10934520902958526, 44:9, (854-860), Online publication date: 17-Jul-2009. Wang M, Webber M, Finlayson B and Barnett J (2008) Rural industries and water pollution in China, Journal of Environmental Management, 10.1016/j.jenvman.2006.12.019, 86:4, (648-659), Online publication date: 1-Mar-2008. Jiang R and Bell M (2008) A Comparison of Particulate Matter from Biomass-Burning Rural and Non-Biomass-Burning Urban Households in Northeastern China, Environmental Health Perspectives, 116:7, (907-914), Online publication date: 1-Jul-2008. MacBean A (2007) China's Environment: Problems and Policies, The World Economy, 10.1111/j.1467-9701.2007.00883.x, 30:2, (292-307), Online publication date: 1-Feb-2007. Zhao Y, Wang S, Aunan K, Martin Seip H and Hao J (2006) Air pollution and lung cancer risks in China—a meta-analysis, Science of The Total Environment, 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2005.10.010, 366:2-3, (500-513), Online publication date: 1-Aug-2006. Chen W, Carsjens G, Zhao L and Li H (2014) A Spatial Optimization Model for Sustainable Land Use at Regional Level in China: A Case Study for Poyang Lake Region, Sustainability, 10.3390/su7010035, 7:1, (35-55) Vol. 110, No. 9 September 2002Metrics About Article Metrics Publication History Originally published1 September 2002Published in print1 September 2002 Financial disclosuresPDF download License information EHP is an open-access journal published with support from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health. All content is public domain unless otherwise noted. Note to readers with disabilities EHP strives to ensure that all journal content is accessible to all readers. However, some figures and Supplemental Material published in EHP articles may not conform to 508 standards due to the complexity of the information being presented. If you need assistance accessing journal content, please contact [email protected]. Our staff will work with you to assess and meet your accessibility needs within 3 working days.

Spatial and temporal analysis of water pollution in China

The relationship between water pollution and economic development, its regional differentiation and its temporal trend is analyzed. With the uneven distribution of water resources, the regional differentiation of water pollution in China is very obvious. Based on the index “RSR (the ratio of sewage to runoff)”, water pollution can be divided into five grades across the whole country. Overall, water pollution is more serious in north and northeast China. On the other hand, economic development level is not the only factor associated with water pollution. As for temporal change, with current economic growth and urbanization, it is impossible that water quality in China will be improved in the near future.

New water quality indices for the era of sustainable development in China

Considering the concept of cost-of-remediation (COR), water indices such as a quality index, a hazard index and a risk index are established to describe the water pollution in China. Sustainability analysis associated with water pollution is also addressed. The spatial variations of these indices in different provinces and the related reasons are considered. It is obvious that water pollution is mainly caused by the economic development, though economic development does not always bring higher risks.

Water pollution in China: Current status, future trends and countermeasures

Based on the statistical data related to water pollution in recent years, this paper firstly describes in detail the current status of water pollution and water quality in rivers, lakes, reservoirs, groundwater and coastal waters in China, then makes a comprehensive analysis on future trends of water pollution in China. The authors hold that the economic power, technology level and management level have determinative influences on the current status and future trends of water pollution. At last, this paper discusses briefly the policies and measures for preventing and controlling water pollution in the light of the national conditions.

Water Pollution and Water Shortage Problems in China

La pollution des eaux et la penurie en eau sont les deux plus importants problemes de l'environnement en Chine. La pollution des eaux en Chine a commence en 1950 et est devenue pire depuis 1970, les rivieres, les lacs, les oceans et les eaux souterraines sont tous pollues a des degres divers. Depuis 1970 des mesures de gestion et de controle ont ete introduites et jouent un role important dans le controle de l'expansion de la pollution des eaux