NEWS: China Wins War Against River

POLITICS: China Wins War Against River

It appears China has finally defeated the Yangtze River, in what has been an epic battle for centuries. According to the state run newspaper China Daily, the river is so polluted that the damage is irreversible. Pollution, damming, heavy boat traffic, pesticides, fertilizers, sewage and freshwater use have all contributed to a “sharp decline in aquatic life.”

The Yangtze is 3,860 miles long, spanning from Tibetan plateau to the sea near Shanghai. It is the longest river in Asia and the third largest river in the world. Since the Han Dynasty, the Yangtze river has became more and more important in China's economy. The establishment of irrigation systems along the river made agriculture very stable and productive. But now, 30% of the Yahgtze’s tributaries are seriously polluted and a total of 370 miles of the river is in “critical condition.”

Currently the river is used for 35% of China’s fresh water resources. The once green river is now a dark yellow. Hundreds of dams line the river and damage its natural ecosystem by creating too much nitrogen.

China’s other major waterway, the Yellow River, is also in poor condition. 66 percent of the Yellow River's water is no longer drinkable.

Fantastic. And people wonder why we didn't ratify Kyoto when China refused to sign on?

So much for human progress! We went from thinking open sewers in the streets were a good idea, to dumping all our shit and pollutants into the water and food arteries known as rivers.

Those rivers have been the bane of Chinese life for thousands of years, I'm glad to hear they've finally been subdued.

I didn't think that was why we didn't sign on. If it was, then we've clearly mastered elementary school politics.

Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji announced on September 3, 2002 at the World Summit on Sustainable Development that China HAS approved the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

"The approval manifests China's positive stance towards international environmental cooperation and world sustainable development," said the Chinese premier in a press release.


Also I'm wondering if you could further clarify wtf you mean when you say "ratify". Because where I come from that would imply that we signed on but simply failed to follow thru., not torpedoed the shit out of the whole effort.

A developing nation is a nation that has not yet become primarily industrialized. Congo is a developing nation. Honduras is a developing nation. China is a well-fucking-developed nation. China is in the middle of one of the greatest economic climbs in history, yes, but they are FAR from an undeveloped nation.

Your English teacher would have asked you who or what the WWF is... I'm assuming its is not indeed the World Wrestling Federation.

I think China in the next ten years will become very serious about their enviromental policy in regards to air and water quallity. They will have to as there medical bill for 1.5 billion people with asthma and other proplems associated with drinking toxic water will so affect their economic growth they will have no choice . Lets hope in a sick way this happends sooner because unfortunatly governemnts only make changes when their bottom line is in danger of turning red. I am lead to believe they will be the biggest polluters in 30 years time, eclipsing the US.

the thing I think is...what happens in a few years when all these billion of thirsty Chinese people start looking for water they can drink? I've never been so convinced that China will _ever_ truly the the "world superpower" that is frequently espoused of it.

What I've seen is the Chinese government mortgaging their populace and ecological resources for momentary gain and explosive growth in what? Consumerism and greed. There's no sharing of wealth, no broad support for Chinese humanity. From what I can see, it is just as much graft and short-sightedness as what the rest of the world complains about _here_ in the US.

We are _all_ in a potential huge pile of crap, regardless of whether you are Jew, Gentile, Arab, Muslim, Hindu, Communist, Socialist, or Ignoramus. If you aren't ready to get with the program, you need to migrate to another planet, one with less air and more vacuum.

+wf+

So PROGRESS = Destruction of the Environment
in a Developing Country
Sounds like Bush speak to me

At what level of industrialization will they start working on their pollution problem? I don't think the Earth can wait for X number of years of pollution before the DPRC decides it is time to tackle the problem. There is enough evidence that the world environment and ecology stand at a precipice, and that every nation, including China, has to make some bold choices to ensure the survival of all life on this planet. The old rules of progress and development don't apply anymore. There has to be a way to grow a nation's economy without destroying the planet.

I agree. It isn't the 40's. Knowing what we know now, it seems like it must be easier to build developing nations' infrastructures to be more responsible and emissions conservative. Building a traditional infrastructure and then having to tear it down and rebuild a modern one in 10 years but stupid in the long run and the short run.

Last year I attended a march in Lisbon. People of the agricultural community were protesting because some Belgian guy was going to be, or had been, put in charge of Portuguese agriculture as a whole. They believed his intention was to make a bad situation worse, then go home and get a pat on the back for it. They wanted someone Portuguese in charge. Apparently it never occurred to anyone that he was truly there to help. (I don't know if he was or not, or if the march changed anything.)

It would be nice if we could let China 'grow up' on its own, make its own mistakes so it can learn from them without anyone else telling them what to do; but it's already been part of the global community for too long. I'm not happy about a lot of things China (those in power, not its people) has done. It makes me angry to think the West is already doing business with them. Unfortunately, the West has been pissing me off lately, too.

China will be the next superpower because the current one is fast becoming ripe and ready to fall.

[Macho Man]
Well lemmie tell ya summtin 'bout that DASTARDLY Yangtze! He's a no good, low down dirty SNAKE or a river! OHHH YEAHHH!! And at Wrestlemania, I showed the WORLD what a two-bit, washed up, HASbeen he was! OH YEAAH! And now I hear all this and that from all you little punks a flappin' yer lips and a wagglin' yer fingers at what the Macho Man did! Well lemmie tell ya summtin, people, what you witnessed was an extravaganza of pure athleticism and power from yours truly and the END of the YANGTZE RIVER! OHHHHH YEEEEAAAAHHH!!

and if i hear any little iota of a tiny bit of a SQUEAK out of you, Yellow River, your next! Oh YEAAH! i'll put you in a HEADLOCK!

OOOOOHHHHHHH YYYEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHH!!!
[/Macho Man]

I absolutely love how people get wrapped up in green issues. Too bad Vonnegut isn't here to remind us - but Carlin still is

Actually I think their Industry is more polluting than the US but America's car driving population beats China in the end tho I'm not sure anymore, I read this like 5 years ago. God help the world when everyone in China starts driving cars every day

God I hope you think this is just a joke. The Planet IS NOT FINE.

Oh the planet is fine.

no, i actually think that Carlin got it right: the planet is not fine FOR US. and many of the organisms that inhabit it NOW. from the perspective of something that might not survive this stage in the planet's evolution, it's not fine. but the planet, on the whole, IS doing fine. it's still got billions of years worth of existance and new creatures to populate it ahead. we haven't learned how to blow it up, yet, after all. we won't make it a barren, lifeless rock with our current level of technology, even. maybe we'll irradiate it for a little while, but stuff will adapt. the planet has been through worse.

so the planet is fine and doesn't need saving.

we are the ones needing the saving, actually. i'm all for spaceships, myself.

ON the contrary - Mr. Carlin brings up a good point, and I thoroughly agree with it - AND rampant pollution of the Yangtze illustrates it perfectly.

The planet is fine - we're the ones who are FUCKED.

Species come and go on our planet. And we are not the controllers of destiny for our environment - we are merely presented with a challenge

Co-exist

OR

cease to exist.

Now I honestly cannot debate fully here because I'd write for a long long time

But please ponder this one point.

We have a moon because of a planet collision

After a cataclismic event like that - The earth became what is is today. Only reason I bring it up is that the conditions necessary to create our environment took millions - if not billions of years to come together.

Folks we are NOT undoing the planet - we are simply undoing any chance at prolonging our stay here

perhaps that is what fate intends. Perhaps we are one of the few species that actually erradicates ourselves for history by our own hands.

My final thought is that when you consider our dyanmic with the environment - you must consider our dynamic with ourselves.

Remember WE are our OWN pollution - be it in idea or practice.

...But the planet is fine