national and international conservation challenges:...

References

National and International ConservationChallenges: China

Brook Milligan

Department of BiologyNew Mexico State University

Las Cruces, New Mexico [email protected]

Fall 2009

Brook Milligan National and International Conservation Challenges: China

mailto:[email protected]

References

China


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China

World’s most populous country

1.3 billion people20% of world totalmore than doubled over past 50 yearsannual growth rate down from 2–3% to below 1%

World’s 4th largest country in area

consumption of ocean resources: 15% of world’s fish catch;33% of global fish/seafood consumption

Complex topography and ecosystems


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China: Demographic Shifts

Rapid increase in number of households

3× as fast as population size2000: 80 million new households (more than total number ofhouseholds in Canada and Russia)

Reduction in household size from 4.5 to 3.5

Increase in household floor area: over 3× over last 30 years

Increase in divorce rate


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Human Population


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Demographics


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Per Capita Floor Space


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China’s Economy

Third in GDP

Highest growth rate: 3× world average

Second largest producer and consumer of pesticides; 14% ofworld’s total

Worlds largest coal producer/consumer; 25% of world’s total

exporter of atmospheric pollution, even to USexporter of greenhouse gas emissions

Much of China’s economy relies on outdated, heavily pollutingtechnologies


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Manufacturing Output


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Energy Consumption


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Business Activity


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China’s Environmental Impacts: Air

Air quality: generally low

3/4 city dwellers live below China’s air quality standard

Very high incidence of acid rain

Signs of improvement in SO2 and NOx emissions


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Atmospheric Haze


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Atmospheric Emissions


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Industrial Solid Waste


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China’s Environmental Impacts: Land

Soil erosion: affects 19% of China’s land area

River sediment has shortened navigable river channels by 56%between 1949 and 1990

Desertification: over 25% of China’s landDeforestation

0.1 ha forest per person (world average: 0.6 ha)forest: 18% of China’s land area (Japan: 64%; US: about 1/3;world: 30%)deforestation a major cause of soil erosion and floods

Grasslands40% of land areadeclining: 15,000 km2 annually since 1980s90% considered degraded

Wetlands660,000 km2

10% of world’s totalonly 3.8% of China’s territory (world average: 6%)


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China’s Environmental Impacts: Fresh Water

Water quality poor and declining

70% lakes are polluted

Uneven distribution: wet south, dry north

River diversions lead to flow stoppages

during 1997, 230 days of no flow on lower Yellow RiverSouth-North Water Transfer Project: Yantze-Yellow Rivertransfer


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Annual Waste Water Discharge


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China’s Environmental Impacts: Oceans

3 million km2 sea area

Almost all coastal seas polluted


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China’s Environmental Impacts: Biodiversity

10% of world’s terrestrial plant and vertebrate species

15–20% of species are endangered

Reserves

almost 2,000 by end of 2003land area: 14.4% of China’s territory (high compared to othercountries worldwide)need improved management and integration

Invasives: rising; over 400 species by 2004


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Interactions between China and the World

Import of agricultural products: reduce local impacts due tofertilizer/pesticide use

Import of oil/natural gas reduce pollution from coal burning

Import of industrial (often electronics) waste increases localpollution

Transfer of pollution intensive industries from overseas intoChina increases environmental degradation

Export from China: most primary goods or manufacturedgoods producing pollution in ChinaExported deforestation

China ranks 3 in timber consumptionsecond only to Japan as an importer of tropical timberinternational trade in tropical timber contributes todeforestationChina conserving its own forests by exporting deforestation toother, often already devastaed, countries (e.g., Malaysia,Papua New Guinea, Australia)


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Conservation Impact of China

Increasing population size

Rising per capita impact

China per capita impact generally lowtotal impact high because of population sizedemographic trends suggest increasing per capita impact

Overall impact: population size × per capita impact

Rapidly increasing overall impact

Similar future for India: second most populous country


References

China: Comparison with the World Liu and Diamond: China’s Environment in a Globalizing World

Supplementary Table Additional information about population, economy, and environmental conditions of China and 14 other major countries* Country

Area (10,000

km2, 2002)

Population density

(people/km2, 2003)

Urban Population (%, 2003)

Fertility rate

(births per

woman, 2003)

GDP per

capita (US$, 2003)

GDP (current

US$ billions, 2003)

Annual change in household

size (%, 1985-

2000)

Foreign direct

Investment US$

billions, 2002)

Energy use (kg of

oil equivalent

per capita, 2001)

Forested land area

(%, 2000)

NOx per populated

area (thousand

metric tons/km2,

2000) China 960 134 39 1.9 1,094 1,410 -1.5 49 900 18 0.8 Bangladesh 14 959 24 3.0 376 52 -0.7 0 150 10 0.7 Brazil 845 21 83 2.1 2,788 492 -1.1 17 1,070 64 0.3 India 328 324 28 2.9 563 599 -0.4 3 520 22 0.5 Indonesia 190 113 46 2.3 971 208 -1.0 -2 730 58 0.2 Japan 37 338 65 1.3 34,010 4,326 -1.3 9 4,100 64 1.5 Malaysia 32 75 64 2.8 4,164 103 -1.1 3 2,170 59 0.2 Mexico 195 52 76 2.4 6,121 626 -1.2 15 1,530 29 0.4 Nigeria 92 147 47 5.1 370 50 -2.4 0 740 15 0.2 Pakistan 79 187 34 4.5 464 69 1.5 1 460 3 0.3 Philippines 30 272 61 3.2 989 81 -1.1 1 540 19 0.3 Russia 1,707 8 73 1.3 3,022 434 No Data 3 4,290 50 0.4 Thailand 51 121 32 1.8 2,309 143 -0.7 1 1,240 29 0.5 USA 963 30 80 2.1 37,388 10,882 -0.5 40 8,000 25 1.3 Vietnam 33 245 26 1.9 482 39 -1.1 1 500 30 0.6 World 13,377 47 48 3.0 5,797 36,356 -0.6 631 1,690 30 0.6

* The most populous countries in the world with at least 100 million people each, plus the four next most populous countries (Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam) in Southeast Asia.


References

Liu, J. and J. Diamond. 2005. China’s environment in aglobalizing world. Nature, 435:1179–1186.


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