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| On a Different Scale: Putting China's Environmental Crisis in Perspective Corliss Karasov Abstract
China's industrial growth over the past two decades has created a nation that could become one of the most powerful economies in the new century. But China is also struggling with some of the most serious environmental health problems on the planet---air pollution, water pollution, shrinking arable land. With a population of 1 billion people, China's problems differ from those of other developing nations in one important respect: scale. China's continued priority on rapid economic growth often conflicts with and undermines efforts to protect the environment. In addition, it is increasingly difficult for the decentralized Chinese government to enforce environmental protection legislation, particularly in rural regions. Finally, China's environmental degradation is simply too great to turn around overnight. China's environmental health problems can largely be traced to the sources plaguing most other developing nations, such as increasing numbers of cars. But some factors, including coal burning, the establishment of polluting township and village enterprises, and widespread deforestation, are especially characteristic of China.
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