Clear Water Blue Skies China S Environment In The New Century

Food, consumption, demand, agricultural research, fertilizer, land, water resources, infrastructure, domestic grain, international grain market, economy, business, markets, tariffs, environment, health, productivity, pollution, energy, industry, water, urban transportation, pension reform, elderly, education, employment, rural, urban, income, poverty.

World Bank Technical Paper No. 373. Air pollution caused by motor vehicles is a major environmental problem in many Latin American urban centers. If appropriate measures are not taken soon, vehicular air pollution in the region is likely to worsen, posing a great threat to human health and welfare. This report analyzes the pollutants emitted by motor vehicles, their effects, and pollutant-control measures targeted at vehicles, fuels, and transport management. Case studies for Mexico City, Mexico, Santiago, Chile, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and Santafe de Bogota, Colombia, illustrate how these measures have been used in the region and how they can be strengthened. Also available in Spanish : Contaminacion atmosferica por vehiculos automotores: StoExperiencias recogidas en siete centros urbanos de America Latina Stock no. 14017 (ISBN 0-8213-4017-4).

Annotation. Many of China's rivers and lakes are strongly polluted, the air in cities is amongst the worst in the world, while some have warned that if the country is not careful it may soon have insufficient arable land to feed its population. This book looks at why the protection of natural resources through stricter legislation and more stringent law enforcement has been so difficult. It does so through a combination of a local case with comparative and theoretical insights about lawmaking, compliance and enforcement. It offers a unique view on how law functions in the world's largest legal system, and how such law interacts with the social, economic and political circumstances at hand. This book offers an incomparable body of empirical and theoretical knowledge for those interested in how law functions in China, as well as those interested in the workings of regulatory lawmaking, compliance, and enforcement in a comparative perspective. This title can be previewed in Google Books - http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN9789087280130.

China’s huge environmental challenges are significant for us all. They affect not only the health and well-being of China but the very future of the planet. In this trailblazing book, noted China specialist and environmentalist Judith Shapiro investigates China’s struggle to achieve sustainable development against a backdrop of acute rural poverty and soaring middle class consumption. Using five core analytical concepts to explore the complexities of this struggle - the implications of globalization, the challenges of governance; contested national identity, the evolution of civil society and problems of environmental justice and equity - Shapiro poses a number of pressing questions: Do the Chinese people have the right to the higher living standards enjoyed in the developed world? Are China's environmental problems so severe that they may shake the government's stability, legitimacy and control? To what extent are China’s environmental problems due to patterns of Western consumption? And in a world of increasing limits on resources and pollution "sinks," is it even possible to build an equitable system in which people enjoy equal access to resources without taking them from successive generations, from the poor, or from other species? China and the planet are at a pivotal moment; the path towards a more sustainable development model is still open. But - as Shapiro persuasively argues - making this choice will require humility, creativity, and a rejection of business as usual. The window of opportunity will not be open much longer. Chapter 1 - 'The Big Picture' - is available online.

This book lays bare the reality behind China's efforts at economic modernization by showing: (1) what is happening to the industrial forces that help shape the economy; (2) how economic agents have behaved; (3) what government intentions really are; and (4) how the transition from a centralized to a market-oriented economy has been filled with contradictions and difficult choices. The author examines issues such as China's WTO membership; the Three Gorges Project; the widening differences between the urban and rural areas; the government's efforts to protect its own interests and maintain stability; the impact of reform; and the situation facing state enterprises, the banking system, the agricultural sector, and the environment.

For the latest thinking about the international financial system, monetary policy, economic development, poverty reduction, and other critical issues, subscribe to Finance & Development (F&D). This lively quarterly magazine brings you in-depth analyses of these and other subjects by the IMF’s own staff as well as by prominent international experts. Articles are written for lay readers who want to enrich their understanding of the workings of the global economy and the policies and activities of the IMF.

With glaciers melting, oceans growing more acidic, species dying out, and catastrophic events like Hurricane Katrina ever more probable, strong steps must be taken now to slow global warming. Further warming threatens entire regional economies and the well being of whole populations, and in this century alone, it could create a global cataclysm. Synthesizing information from leading scientists and the most up-to-date research, science journalist William Sweet examines what the United States can do to help prevent climate devastation. Rather than focusing on cutting oil consumption, which Sweet argues is expensive and unrealistic, the United States should concentrate on drastically reducing its use of coal. Coal-fired plants, which currently produce more than half of the electricity in the United States, account for two fifths of the country's greenhouse gas emissions of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Sweet believes a mixture of more environmentally sound technologies-wind turbines, natural gas, and nuclear reactors-can effectively replace coal plants, especially since dramatic improvements in technology have made nuclear power cleaner, safer, and more efficient. Sweet cuts through all the confusion and controversies. He explores dramatic advances made by climate scientists over the past twenty years and addresses the various political and economic issues associated with global warming, including the practicality of reducing emissions from automobiles, the efficacy of taxing energy consumption, and the responsibility of the United States to its citizens and the international community to reduce greenhouse gases. Timely and provocative, Kicking the Carbon Habit is essential reading for anyone interested in environmental science, economics, and the future of the planet.

Hazardous Air Pollutants: Case Studies from Asia examines the variety of public health problems, such as cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, increased mortality, and impaired mental health, that are severely affecting multiple Asian countries as a result of exposure to high concentrations of air pollution in the wake of rapid industrialization. The contributors to this book have direct research experience in health problems caused by air pollution in the countries under discussion. The countries analyzed include China, Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Korea. The book is divided in two sections. Each chapter of the first section focuses on one country and summarizes multiple key aspects that contextualize public health issues within it, including Geography Meteorology Economics Demographics Sources of air pollution Epidemiological findings Biological mechanisms The first section also assesses the exposure and risk within each country. The second section introduces new fields of air pollution research, the impact of vehicle emission regulations, the effects of coal energy generation, and climate change. Presented in a concise and methodical manner, this book provides an up-to-date overview of the air pollution levels, health findings, and air quality policies of Asian countries. It expands understanding about the effects of air pollution on public health in Asia and lays a groundwork for future approaches to research and policy.