China, as a developing country, has got great achievement on its economic development in recent years. As a Chinese, I’m really proud of my country for the great progress in just 10 years. Meanwhile, the environmental problem has become more and more severe as more and more people realize the importance of the protecting the environment. Actually, it is undeniable that china is now facing an ecological crisis and I think this problem could be a big burden for the development of my country.
I have heard a lot about how to save the environment and how to change the situation from Chinese government .However, I haven’t feel any change of the environment and I think what Chinese government is doing right now merely has a little bit influence on diminishing the pollution. My hometown, Nanjing which is one of the biggest cities in China is still suffering from the very bad air pollution. The API (air pollution index) in Nanjing is 500 which almost reach “severe” level. When I went back to Nanjing this winter break, I couldn’t even see the blue sky which was covered by a thick, brownish haze. It’s obviously that the city’s smog has a negative affection on people’s health and it has made more and more people have cancer. There are two considerable causes for the poor air quality which are the industrial factories and the roadside emissions. Personally, I think the Chinese government should consider this problem as priority and find some really efficiency ways to solve the problem from essence. China is still a developing country and it is hard to implement environmental policy to diminish the pollution. The authority is too weak to change the situation. Some people argue that we should focus on developing economic not diminishing the pollution because the cost of diminishing pollution is too much and we can’t even predicts the result of improving the environment. It might only have a little bit influence of the whole world.
Personally, I think the best way for Chinese government do now is promoting the adoption of some environmental policies. According to Gaia Hypothesis, the entire world is a single organism. What we do to the natural, will affect us as well. The environmental problem will finally become a big burden for the development of China. Government should limit the industrial pollution and improve the awareness of protecting environment. In this article, I will analyze what should Chinese government do right now and how can they balance the environmental problem and the development of the whole country.
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Since this is a philosophy paper, what is your ethical position on the issue to better explain why the Chinese government should do what you want them to do?
ReplyDeleteThis is really interesting! Do you think that cultural relativism has anything to do with China's hesitation to adopt environmental policies? For example, since many countries in Europe are taking strong action to battle environmental problems, do you think that there is something different about Chinese culture and European culture that makes the Europeans care more for the environment or in a different way than the Chinese?
ReplyDeleteHave you considered making the argument that if we are all connected to each other and to the Earth that decreasing pollution in China will not only improve the environment and lives of Chinese citizens, but also the lives of everyone and of Earth as a whole?
ReplyDeleteDoes this go against the biophilia hypothesis and do you believe china is denying the environment any intrinsic value, instead do you believe china sees the environment as having only instrumental value?
ReplyDeleteLooking at American History, I believe the United States went through the same process as China is going through now to get to where we are today. Perhaps you could look at the economic and environmental mistakes the United States made during their climb to development to get some ideas as to how the Chinese government can avoid these same, costly errors.
ReplyDeleteIs it possible to use a cost-benefit analysis to support this argument, or would it be better to use a value effective analysis and why? Does nature have intrinsic value and that is why we shouldn't be polluting the air or should be not be polluting for the sake of human health? By making these new proposals how will you incorporate these ethical questions in to your suggestions?
ReplyDeleteWhat are some of the problems China is facing as a developing country in terms of being environmentally friendly? For example, does China, a rapidly developing country, have the right to produce as many cars as they want(current industrialized nations such as the U.S. have already been doing this) because it helps develop their economy? In other words, globalization and environmental pollution. Should we have the same standards everywhere or should there be exceptions to this rule? What right do industrialized nations have in deciding the appropriate levels of pollution in developing nations?
ReplyDeleteWhat are the major obstacles to China cleaning up the air and reducing its ecological footprint? Do the ethical obligations the country has as a country of the world (make the world better/cleaner/etc) conflict with its obligations as a culture? Does China belong to different subgroups of our world culture whose overlaps make it more difficult to effectively combat pollution and environmental degradation?
ReplyDeleteYou suggest that some Chinese people are more concerned with the economy than the environment. Have you considered exploring how improving the environment and taking steps towards a greener nation could improve China's economy in the long run? Also have you considered using the argument of environmental rights in your paper?
ReplyDeleteI believe not improving air quality in China will lead to more economic problems in the long run, not to mention medical problems. During the olympics, China reduced pollution to make it bearable for athletes as they were under the watch of the world. Do you believe that if this becomes a global issue and other countries push China to control pollution, China would do more?
ReplyDeleteAir pollution could not only cause problems to humankind but the rest of the environment as well. Since all industry at some base point relies upon the natural rescources of the Earth, couldn't industry simply topple on its own if this problem where to go unchecked?
ReplyDelete