Growth and economy are inseparable when considering the economy of a nation, however not all growth are sustainable meaning that, some growth are actually detrimental to the economy in the long run. Suffice to say that green development is not synonymous with sustainable development. Some consider green development as a specific and practical way in achieving a sustainable development while others argue that green development is a far more advance concept than sustainable development. However comparing both, green development is proactive in nature which aims to benefit future generations while sustainable development is passive aiming not to harm future generation. Green growth is not a replacement for sustainable development, it …show more content…
Green development is simply an innovative economic development model that encompass the constraints of environmental and ecological carrying capacity and strives to achieve sustainable development with environmental protection as one of its major focus, or in a nutshell, it can be defined as the pathway of an economic growth where the usage of natural resources are sustainable which provides an alternative outlook to a typical industrial economic growth. The general perspective about economic growth in China is that, Chinese economy is unsustainable, unstable, and unbalanced [2]. However, China has prioritized green development in almost all of its leading economic sectors like energy, transportation, and forestry just to name a few with a potential promise for expanded employment in industries and economic sectors that can reduce the country's environmental impact. The current scale of investment and employment in the following sectors really sheds more light on the greening activities taking place in different sectors of the economy. For instance, the energy sector of China that was coal …show more content…
Given the rapid growth in China's solar industry, these estimates for future green jobs could increase immensely in the coming years. China's wind power industry consisting the power generation and turbine manufacturing sectors created an average of 40,000 direct green jobs annually between 2006 and 2010, factoring in increased productivity, China's wind power development between 2011 and 2020 is projected to generate around 34,000 green jobs annually on average [3]. Formerly regarded as a kingdom of bicycles, china is expected to add around 220 million new vehicles between now and 2020, Chinese market for alternative fueled vehicles is really expanding rapidly despite its newness because by mid 2010, China was home to 5000 such vehicles. Assuming the government continues on the path of prioritizing the development of hybrid and electric vehicles during the 2011-2020 period, cumulative production could reach 16.7 million which is an average of 1.67 million hybrid vehicles annually. This will lead to the creation of about 1.2 million green jobs annually on average. Already at the forefront in high speed rail (HSR) development, china aims
One of China’s best successes has in turn been one of its biggest downfalls. One of the main problems is China’s greatest success which has been its phenomenal economic growth. This is one of the main drivers of the current environmental problems that the country faces. Factories dump pollutants into the air and water. It is difficult to see the Chinese government making the significant sacrifices required to improve their environment if it means slowing down their economic growth.
American economist, Rostow through his ‘Stages of Economic Development’ demonstrates that economies may ignore environmental quality in their quest for growth. This notion is true in China, with government and private firms using unsustainable practices in order to maximise globalisation opportunities. China suffers mostly from chronic air and water pollution caused by both the demand for energy (i.e. coal mines) as well as the process of manufacturing. This effect on the Chinese economy is quantified through China’s emissions, which in 2010, was 8,286 million metric tonnes, 35% higher than the next uppermost emitter, the United States. China is also home to 16 out of 20 most polluted cities in the world. Consequences for not cleaning up the environment will not just be a health crisis but an economic one. The Chinese government is now recognising and addressing the environmental problems which have occurred due to both rapid economic growth and industrialisation. It has set targets which aim at reducing pollution levels with $6.6b committed in spending in order to achieve such targets. Such examples include investment in nuclear power instead of coal, hydroelectricity (i.e. Three Gorges Dam) as well as new stringent environmental laws. It is hoped that new regulations and investment will lead the way for renewable energy and a sustainable
China’s economy has grown to be the second largest economy in the world, and along with its positive economic growth, they have been branded as the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases. Out of all the fossil fuels available in China, coal is the most abundant and politically secured resources. Coal fired energy plants are easily integrated into existing power systems, which is why the demand for coal has been rising at a staggering rate. Every one to ten weeks, a new coal fired plant is opened up somewhere in China that is capable enough to power all the houses in either Dallas or San Diego. This paper will aim to discuss the reasons as to why China burns so much coal, taking globalization and the economy into account, the environmental and social consequences and the solutions that can be utilized to reduce coal combustion. China’s coal exports have increased nearly threefold in the past three years and China is now the world’s second largest coal exporter after Australia. This has had widespread implications for international coal markets, particularly in the Asia Pacific region. This rapid export growth has been underpinned by significant changes in China’s domestic coal consumption, production and distribution sectors and expansions in coal rail and port capacity. Government support for coal production and exports in some parts of the industry may also have contributed to China’s coal export competitiveness.
... This has resulted in increased pollution due to livestock releasing methane gas into the air. And due to demand for electrical goods from western countries, it has helped China to produce a capitalist economy. This has enabled China’s citizens to have a prosperous lifestyle, which has increased pollution due to the increase in energy use and waste production. Furthermore, although the Chinese government and its citizens are trying to tackle their environmental problems, it seems to be too little too late.
(9) Liu, L. -., Wu, G., Wang, J. -., & Wei, Y. China's carbon emissions from urban and rural households during 1992-2007. Journal of Cleaner Production, 19(15), 1754-1762. (2011).
The concept of sustainable development, a relatively new concept has now taken action into the structure of many present day organizations. Identified as “green growth”, the formation of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index provides a platform for managers to understand what it takes to be a sustainable organization. On the subject of sustainable development, the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED) sponsored by the United Nations published a report defining as,“Development that meets the needs of the current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs and aspirations” (WCED, 1987). Sustainable development is composed of the following two notions. First is the idea of sustainability (to maintain), and secondly, development (to make better) (Bell, 2003). Improvement of our own lives today does not mean at the cost of damaging the quality of
China has made some improvements in environmental protection during recent years. According to the World Bank, China is one of a few countries in the world that have been rapidly increasing their forest cover. It is managing to reduce air and water
However, China accounts for 33% of the worlds Greenhouse gas emissions, mainly arising as a result of rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, and the deforestation that occurs in its wake. China is also suffering from desertification, coastal reclamation and severe climate change as are result of their long time blasé attitude towards environmental issues. While the Chinese Government now do acknowledge that environmental oversight has occurred, strict censorship within China deprives outsiders of receiving the full story of the environmental calamity that is occurring within China. Citizens within China are becoming increasingly concerned with governmental policy that regards further unnecessary degradation of the environment. A retired party official revealed that there had been 50,000 environmental protests within China in 2012 alone. China has amended numerous government acts and implemented strict new regulations in an attempt to curb pollution and Greenhouse gas production. However, the problem China faces cannot be swept under the 'bureaucratic rug' so to speak. The problem rests with the lack of an alternative clean energy to the fossil fuels currently used to fuel China's resource hungry industry. China has implemented numerous 'real world' measures to reduce environmental impact. Perhaps the most well known of these projects is 'Green Wall of China', which is a 4,500 km green strip of
Green growth is growth that is environmentally sustainable. It is efficient in its use of natural resources, clean in that it minimizes pollution and environmental impacts, and resilient in that it accounts for natural hazards and the role of environmental management in preventing physical hazards and excessive commodity price volatility. Green growth is a tool to achieve sustainable development, not a competing paradig...
Sustainability is a concept with a diverse array of meanings and definitions – a widely used glamorous, ambiguous, ambivalent and vague concept that is used by different stakeholder groups in various ways. Presumably to avoid noodling over a terminology or to avoid the confrontation with a definition, most widely the concept is broken down a planning process (c.f. e.g. Döring & Muraca, 2010). That is why most common sustainability is understood as sustainable development.1
“Three years ago, at the Communist Party’s annual congress, Premier Li Keqiang declared war on air pollution in China. At the party congress this past March, he renewed his vow “to make our skies blue again.”(Gardiner, Beth). China is one of the most polluted countries in the world with its rapid rise of industrialization. It is planning on cutting back on wood and coal as China's main power source and heavily investing is wind and solar power. Due to the rise in industrial capabilities. China has begun to produce many products including eco friendly cars. Engineers are trying to make cars that run on cleaner energy sources and produce less harmful emissions. Some innovative ideas include making cars that run on electricity and others that run on biofuels. Shell is design a car that will run on hydrogen and emits only water. Only a small percentage of cars on the road are electric but the numbers are increasing every day. Electric cars are expensive with each car costing on average around thirty to forty thousand dollars. This means that most people don't have the money or charging stations are not available in their area. However with the steady rise of the industry. Electric cars are to become more easily
Greening is the process of transforming various things such as a space, a lifestyle or a brand image into a more environmentally friendly version (such as greening your work place or greening your school). The act of greening involves incorporating organic or green products and processes into one's environment.
In traditional opinions, environmental protection and economic growth are mutually contradictory. Economic growth is a high environmental cost, and protecting the environment will limit the economic growth. The reason of contradiction stems from the inappropriate understandings among development, economic growth and environmental protection. In fact, economic growth could have a harmonious relationship with environmental protection.
Green technology is the technology whose main aim is reduce the impact of human activities on the environment. In other words the target of green technology is to consume less natural resources, reduce the emission, produce goods with energy efficiency, take care of health and safety issues and reuse and recycle the goods after their usage.
Sustainable development refers to not only meet the needs of contemporary people, but also not compromising the ability of future generations to meet development needs.Sustainable development and environmental protection have established contact, not the same. Environmental protection is an important aspect of sustainable development. The core of sustainable development is development, but requires strict control of the population, improve population quality and protect the environment for the conduct of economic and social development under the premise of sustainable use of resources.