This is China- a land of pollution.

[Han Solo]

This land of china, is a land that had been desecrated- a hell on earth.

$this->handle_bbcode_img_match('http://www.chinahush.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/20091020luguang02.jpg')

$this->handle_bbcode_img_match('http://www.chinahush.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/20091020luguang08.jpg')

$this->handle_bbcode_img_match('http://www.chinahush.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/20091020luguang16.jpg')

More photos in the original thread, and descriptions at

http://www.chinahush.com/2009/10/21/...tion-in-china/

Han Solo

[Han Solo]

Atlantic article from 2008 describing progress in China.

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/20080...ution-in-china

Han Solo

[remember_Cedric]

O_O ZOMG!! This is indeed living hell! I pity the fishes in the 2nd picture.

[forgot password]

WTF!! the pics on Chinahush are so disgusting that they make me sick. I visited my extended family earlier this year but did not see anything so f*cking terrible like in those pics since I stayed in cities. tbh, being in this situation may be the fair price China has to pay for its mind-blowing growth rate during the last 2 decades, but now it's time to do something, if the PRC's gov't doesnt start to get serious to those filthy rich fat a$ses who are the bosses of those fu*king pollution-causing plants and factories, pollution in China will soon reach an irredeemable level and lots of people will suffer for many years to come.

[Trien Chieu]

I have no doubt that china is a very polluted country but I don't think the situation is all that bad. If you take pictures of landfills in canada and the US, they aren't look that good either. China needs to understand that having over 2 trillion dollars of foreign reserve and holding hundred of billion of dollars of US bond while her citizens are dying of pollution is not in her interest. It's better for china to spend the money cleaning up its pollution than having such huge reserve and holding US bond. If the situation in china is indeed that bad, then it's a great great news for the west especially the US.

Well, I don't feel sorry for them that they have to live in that condition. It's not the case that they are unable to clean up the pollution. If they prefer to have over 2 trillion US dollars in foreign reserve and hundred of billion of US bond over their environment and health, then that is the price they gotta pay.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...hange_reserves

[xJadedx]

Well, I don't feel sorry for them that they have to live in that condition. It's not the case that they are unable to clean up the pollution.

I think you're mixing up responsibilities of the government with that of its citizens. The government should be responsible for cleaning up the pollution, not the individual citizens (since they have little to no means of doing so).

[patricia n]

I have no doubt that china is a very polluted country but I don't think the situation is all that bad. If you take pictures of landfills in canada and the US, they aren't look that good either. China needs to understand that having over 2 trillion dollars of foreign reserve and holding hundred of billion of dollars of US bond while her citizens are dying of pollution is not in her interest. It's better for china to spend the money cleaning up its pollution than having such huge reserve and holding US bond. If the situation in china is indeed that bad, then it's a great great news for the west especially the US.

Well, I don't feel sorry for them that they have to live in that condition. It's not the case that they are unable to clean up the pollution. If they prefer to have over 2 trillion US dollars in foreign reserve and hundred of billion of US bond over their environment and health, then that is the price they gotta pay.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...hange_reserves

what is wrong with you? the people who have no voice are forced to live in that situation and instead of showing them any sympathy, you condemn them?

the goverment is mostly to blame but also mass consumers in the developed countries cannot be overlooked. i need to avoid buying products made in china or else i would be supporting the situation.

[Trien Chieu]

I think you're mixing up responsibilities of the government with that of its citizens. The government should be responsible for cleaning up the pollution, not the individual citizens (since they have little to no means of doing so).

what is wrong with you? the people who have no voice are forced to live in that situation and instead of showing them any sympathy, you condemn them?

the goverment is mostly to blame but also mass consumers in the developed countries cannot be overlooked. i need to avoid buying products made in china or else i would be supporting the situation.

I blame the government of China for pollution, not the average Joe and Jane. They have more than two trillion of US dollars in foreign reserve plus hundred of billions in US government bond. If they spend the money they have to clean up the environment and build infrustructures, they wouldn't be in that situation. If having a clean environment is more important than having a huge foreign reserve and US bond, then they need to make their voice heard.

[Han Solo]

Hard to make your voice heard in a country controlled by a single undemocratically elected government.

The central government might want to help to control the environment but the provincial and local government have more incentive in colluding with local business in making money at the expense of the environment and the people.

This is why these photos are remarkable as they come from the works of Chinese environmentalist themselves. It is hoped that their work, plus that of other local NGOs and the ten or so environmental lawyers can spur China along in the path of further reform.

In one board that I frequent, the posters all clamor to blame themsleves and the western world for it's consumptive and materialistic streak - buying things off china without demanding the same standard of environmental care.

A food for thought certainly.

Han Solo

[GuGu]

that is extreme! cancer villages? birth defects? the people should do something about it, not just the ones living there but also the rest of it's people. bring it to someone's attention, someone who cares and gives a crap and can actually do something. all we can do is just feel bad for those people.

[Guo Xiang]

That is sick! What are they doing by killing the life rivers of their country?!

China's "progress" have also led to the serious endangerment, or extinction, of at least two marine species.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth...00/8269414.stm

[Trinie]

I have heard that many parts of China are heavily polluted, especially the rivers and stuff. Therefore, I was not that shocked to hear about this. I feel so bad for the people and the species... I really hope that the government will take care of this before more species become extinct.

[Ren Wo Xing]

Looks about right. There's a reason why the government has made environmentalism/green energy one of its top priorities; in many places, the land's turned into an unlivable hellhole. That's not in anybody's best interest.

[jiang bao]

Back in the 70’s, before my birth, a chemical plant was built near my village. All the fishes died and no grass could even grow. So they finally shut the damn thing down. Many years later, many people in the village developed cancer. My mom also got it in the late 90’s.

The village officials sold out the population for money.

At least the fragging govt is looking to go greener now. Too late for the poor people who already got sick/died from the pollution.

[Trien Chieu]

Looks about right. There's a reason why the government has made environmentalism/green energy one of its top priorities; in many places, the land's turned into an unlivable hellhole. That's not in anybody's best interest.

That is indeed the best interest of the US and the west as China has huge problem to deal with. Pollution will prevent or at least delay china from becoming a super power. China doesn't seem to understand that having trillion of US dollars in foreign reserve and holding hundred of billion dollars of US bond while her people is dying from pollution is not considered a successful country.

[Billsy]

$this->handle_bbcode_img_match('http://www.hemmy.net/images/travel/chinapollution01.jpg')

$this->handle_bbcode_img_match('http://www.hemmy.net/images/travel/chinapollution02.jpg')

$this->handle_bbcode_img_match('http://www.hemmy.net/images/travel/chinapollution04.jpg')

[Ken Cheng]

Back in the 70’s, before my birth, a chemical plant was built near my village. All the fishes died and no grass could even grow. So they finally shut the damn thing down. Many years later, many people in the village developed cancer. My mom also got it in the late 90’s.

The village officials sold out the population for money.

They probably did, and they probably also assented to the chemical plant out of sheer ignorance. That doesn't excuse the decision, but I suspect that ignorance played as much a role as greed in that decision.

$this->handle_bbcode_img_match('http://www.hemmy.net/images/travel/chinapollution02.jpg')

Geeze...that looks like a Dickensian nightmare from the Victorian era, but it's the 21st Century.

[tp222]

Interesting reading the replies, I guess people have seen some certain youtube videos. I can't blame the people much though, because people gotta do what they've gotta do to survive or "modernize."

It seems poor people just tend to have a lot more kids than rich or educated ones. This can not only be observed, but proven by looking at the GDP per capita. Vietnam, China and India are the three countries with the highest population(or in the case of Vietnam, population density), all with a GDP under 10000.

One thing I will credit China is their policy of one child per family(though their population isn't projected to go down until 2030). Wish the Viet government would do the same. Saving anything starts with reducing the population.

The biggest virus of all, however, is still the US, who consumes 75% of the world's resources. It seems that a comfortable lifestyle comes at a great cost to the environment. It bring ups some issues with capitalism, which is pretty long to write here, but let's just say, no system will work if people only look to consume and not contribute.

[tp222]

I blame the government of China for pollution, not the average Joe and Jane. They have more than two trillion of US dollars in foreign reserve plus hundred of billions in US government bond. If they spend the money they have to clean up the environment and build infrustructures, they wouldn't be in that situation. If having a clean environment is more important than having a huge foreign reserve and US bond, then they need to make their voice heard.

They can't spend it because the US isn't paying them back.

[Trien Chieu]

They can't spend it because the US isn't paying them back.

Only few hundred billion dollars is in US bond, most of the money is in the bank but they rather have a big bank account than spend it. Again, if they prefer to hold on the cash than having a clean environment, than that is the price they gotta pay. If the US debt is running out of control, then she might just print all the money and pay off the debt. The dollar will worth like 50 cent or less of the current value. People who hold the US dollar or US bond will lose big time .