I can across this article while I was browsing the Environment column on Global News’ website. Interestingly, it outlines some of the problems that China is facing with it’s economy and the environmental impact that it has brought. However, it also provided some of the changes that China is starting to make. Including restructuring its economy away from heavily polluting companies to create more room for “good companies” to develop and focus on technological innovation.
Thinking back to some of the articles in the past about China’s environmental situation, all I could remember was “A Chinese artist vacuumed up Beijing’s smog for 100 days and made a brick from what he collected” or “Breathing in Beijing’s air is the equivalent to smoking FORTY cigarettes a day”. This comes across as a major concern, and actions are needed to turn this around.
Although China has been an industry heavy focused economy and has traded the environmental impact of these activities for profit, it is realizing that there needs to be change. This is reflected through the signing of the Paris agreement late last year, China claims victory — and a major leadership role — in the global agreement on climate change. In case you wanted to find out more details about the UN Climate Change Conference that was held in Paris here’s an interesting little recap! 
On another note, more and more companies are taping into the encironmental issues in China and turning it into profits. My friend is currently on her second CO-OP term with Origins Technology a company that creates “products to monitor and improve the environment around us”. Needless to say there is a huge market in China right now for products that can improve environment, we hear about companies selling bottled Canadian air to China, and Chinese citizens buying imported products for their kids.
Despite the changes that are taking place, the article outlined some problems that needs to resolved within the government. Some local governments are “still leery of enforcing environmental laws in favour of boosting economic growth in their areas.”
What do you see in China’s environmental future?
I totally agree on your argument that a country should take environment and sustainability into consideration while developing its economy.
However, this sounds too ideal for a developing country to strike the balance between development and protecting environment perfectly. Every country should definitely work together to pursue the sustainability. It is not only the work a country with accelerating development and serious pollution needs to be performed and conducted. In other words, developed country cannot sacrifice the environment of developing country in order to develop a high quality living standard such as moving factories with high pollution emission to developing country.