Tag: ecological footprint

Economic growth in China

11th March 2005

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A young migrant worker shovels heavily polluted mud and water from an almost dried up river bed. Image source: AFP.
http://english.epochtimes.com/news/4-2-5/19422.html

On BBC World these last few days, I’ve been watching China Week with interest – a special feature on the consequences of rapid growth in this country. One clip that particularly caught my eye was the one on the disastrous Three Gorges Project, which I have written about before in this blog. What worries me is that while you do get the odd snippet of good news coming out of China regarding sustainable development, the simple fact of the matter is that if the Chinese live like North Americans, we’re in big trouble. To get some idea as the stresses and strains Chinese consumption at American levels would cause, I recommend the latest Eco-Economy update written by Lester Brown (reproduced below if the link is broken). As a student of international political economy as well as ecological economics, in my darker moments I ponder about the geopolitical consequences of the Chinese not being able to feed themselves.

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The case for city dwelling

28th January 2005

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The view from my home office window

Having been a resident of the concrete jungle of Singapore for the last 18 months, I sometimes long for the wide open spaces of my Kobble Creek five acre block … the fresh air, the striking contrast of the bright blue of the cloudless sky against the many greens of the eucalypt trees, the beautiful birdlife and the peace and quiet. What I don’t miss is the 1000km per week in the car commuting to and from work and to kids’ music and sports events. I don’t own a car anymore. I get taxis and take the bus or the train because everything is so close by, and the services are cheap and efficient. Paradoxically, therefore, my ecological footprint, although still unconscionably high, is a lot lower than it was when I lived in Queensland. A recent article in the New Yorker (republished this week in the Australian Financial Review), entitled ‘Green Manhattan’ tells a similar story (see below if the link doesn’t work).

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