Impact of Development on the

EnvironmentSara Hsu

Environmental Economic Theory

Environmental Kuznets Curve Some evidence of this, but

alternative results

Japan Ashio Copper Mine Post-WWI industrialization policies

made pollution problem apparent Civil society increasingly opposed to

pollution Water Quality Conservation Law of

1958 Basic Law for Environmental Pollution

Control of 1967 Environment Agency

China Large problem with pollution, natural

resource usage Severe water pollution Stockholm

Conference of 1972 Economic growth and industrial

agglomeration Emissions Water pollution-Class IV rivers

China “Polluter pays” fees National Environmental Protection

Agency Environmental policies have

increased But enforcement is the problem Green energy technology

India Population pressures and

environmental degradation High levels of pollution in ten major

industrial hubs Environmental policies starting in

1970s Department of Environment set up in

1980 Voluntary emissions controls for firms

Bottom Line Pollution has been a nasty side effect

of the industrialization in all three countries

The countries have put in place laws to curb pollution, although the extent to which these laws are enforced varies by country.

Did You Know? The Chinese government has admitted for the first time that so called

‘cancer villages’ exist, as decades of pollution take their toll on the health of Chinese citizens. For years environmental campaigners in China have said that cancer rates in villages near factories and polluted rivers are far higher than they should be.

“In recent years, toxic and hazardous chemical pollution has caused many environmental disasters, cutting off drinking water supplies, and even leading to severe health and social problems such as ‘cancer villages’,” the document says, which was published in the 12th five-year plan for tackling pollution.

The plan also outlines a clampdown on the use of 58 types of toxic chemicals. Many chemicals are produced and consumed in China, which are banned in many developed nations. The document continues to warn that China is facing a grave situation in terms of chemical pollution control, including a lack of pollution risk control by enterprises, a lack of policies to stop the use of highly toxic and dangerous chemicals and insufficient pollution monitoring by the authorities, the state news agency Xinhua reported on Friday.

Fin Questions?