Expert warns policymakers yet to address most health-threatening of contamination problems
Sunday, 06 January, 2013, SCMP
http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1120912/chinas-heavy-metal-and-chemical-pollution-worsening
A senior environmental policy official has warned the mainland faces an “extremely grave” environmental crisis that will only worsen as pollution increases and the health problems its causes come to light.
Wang Jinnan, a deputy director at the Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning, told a three-day conference at the Chinese University of Hong Kong that the country has not yet come to grips with the amount of toxins seeping into the ground, pollution that would linger for decades to come.
So far the article in the SCMP. Read more about the dramatic environmental destruction in China in “Toxic Capitalism” (water, air, soil).
The situation is indeed very grave, especially for water resources that are already limited but also too polluted. On the other hand the government is well aware of the pollution and the impact on health. The 12th Five Year Plan and other initiatives from the government show evidence China wants to turn the tide. The new team at the top has put the environment as one of the top priorities. However, if the fight against corruption, the improvement of governance and the changes in Western consumption are not carried out there is little hope. The West is also to blame for its hypocrisy, blaming China for the pollution and poor labor conditions while refusing to insist on quality and durability while paying a fair price. And stopping its habit of buying junk at rock bottom prices to satisfy the orgy of consumption. We all have to contribute to change things.