Trans Boundary Pollution In North East Asia

In East Asia, the economics and industrial outputs of Japan, China, Korea and Russia have developed rapidly in recent decades. Together, these countries account for more than a quarter of the worlds energy consumption. The primary energy consumption of China has especially increased drastically. The main energy sources in these countries are oil in Japan and Korea, coal in China and natural gas in Russia (additionally, coal is harvested in Far Eastern Russia). The burning of these fuels and biomass releases many kinds of pollutants including gases and particulates into the atmosphere. From 1970-1980, acid rain/snow was a typical trans-boundary form of environmental pollution not only in Eastern Europe and North America, but also in North East Asia. Acid rain/snow was observed on the Sea of Japan coastline of the Japanese islands during the winter. It was caused by sulfur dioxide emitted from the combustion of a large amount of coal in China. "Yellow sand" is also observed in various parts of Japan during the spring. It is caused by dust storms generated in deserts such as the Takramakan in China and transported at long ranges to Japan via microorganisms. Recently, a high concentration of PM2.5 in the urban atmosphere has become a large problem in China. PM2.5 as an originated form of fossil fuel combustion and biomass combustion contains many polycyslic aromatic hydrocarbons, which exhibit carcinogenic and/or mutagenic, endocrine disrupting and reactive oxygen species producing activities. A part of PM2.5 emitted in China has been transported at long ranges to Japan. These pollutans cause respiratory and circulatory diseases. On the other hand, in 1997, enormous amounts of oil spilled from an old Russian tanker which caused a serious pollution problem in the Sea of Japan. Backbone bending in fish was reported in several marine areas polluted with the spilled oil. From these view points, trans-boundary pollution attracts much attention from environmental and health science fields. This book will focus on the trans-boundary pollutants observed in North East Asia with recent research results.

The share of global CO2 emissions from the core Northeast Asian (NEA) countries in 2015 was estimated to be as high as 33.63 percent. Representing 28.21, 3.67, and 1.75 percent of total global emissions, China, Japan, and South Korea were ranked the first, fifth, and seventh largest contributors, respectively. Some parts of China, the Republic of Mongolia, the Russian Far East, and Southeast Asia have long been on serious alert due to accelerated deforestation. With their rapid population growth and economic development, the core countries of Northeast Asia are responsible both directly and indirectly for numerous environmental problems. Urgent individual and collective action is required from the region’s governments. Against the backdrop of debate on how to understand Northeast Asia as a "region," Park focuses on the major regional economies of China, Japan, and South Korea, along with Russia, North Korea, and the Republic of Mongolia, due to both their geopolitical proximity and their significance to the region. The author attempts to answer the questions: "How far has regional environmental cooperation progressed in Northeast Asia?"; and "Why are Northeast Asian countries reluctant to cooperate further on urgent transboundary and regional environmental issues?"

In East Asia, the economics and industrial outputs of Japan, China, Korea and Russia have developed rapidly in recent decades. Together, these countries account for more than a quarter of the world's energy consumption. The primary energy consumption of China has especially increased drastically. The main energy sources in these countries are oil in Japan and Korea, coal in China and natural gas in Russia (additionally, coal is harvested in Far Eastern Russia). The burning of these fuels and biomass releases many kinds of pollutants including gases and particulates into the atmosphere. From 1970-1980, "acid rain/snow" was a typical trans-boundary form of environmental pollution not only in Eastern Europe and North America, but also in North East Asia. Acid rain/snow was observed on the Sea of Japan coastline of the Japanese islands during the winter. It was caused by sulfur dioxide emitted from the combustion of a large amount of coal in China. Yellow sand is also observed in various parts of Japan during the spring. It is caused by dust storms generated in deserts such as the Takramakan in China and transported at long ranges to Japan via microorganisms. Recently, a high concentration of PM2.5 in the urban atmosphere has become a large problem in China. PM2.5 as an originated form of fossil fuel combustion and biomass combustion contains many polycyslic aromatic hydrocarbons, which exhibit carcinogenic and/or mutagenic, endocrine disrupting and reactive oxygen species producing activities. A part of PM2.5 emitted in China has been transported at long ranges to Japan. These pollutans cause respiratory and circulatory diseases. On the other hand, in 1997, enormous amounts of oil spilled from an old Russian tanker which caused a serious pollution problem in the Sea of Japan. Backbone bending in fish was reported in several marine areas polluted with the spilled oil. From these view points, trans-boundary pollution attracts much attention from environmental and health science fields. This book will focus on the trans-boundary pollutants observed in North East Asia with recent research results.

This important new book provides a comprehensive overview of the international legal principles governing transboundary pollution. In doing so, the experts writing in this book examine the practical applications of the State responsibility doctrine in