In a dilemma

China is on turning point – economic growth and pollution block each other. The Communist Party can hardly win during the conflict.

Grzanna lived for six years in China and has just moved from Beijing to Shanghai.

The easy part of the Chinese economic miracle has been successfully completed. The recipe for it consisted of mundane home remedies. Suppose a billion people, let foreign investors into the country, offering them dirt cheap labor and do abroad its own internal market palatable

The whole thing you seasoning with a pinch of freedom for the enterprising citizens. This blend worked so well that China has emerged from the poorhouse to the second largest economy in the world within three decades – a unique success story. But as fast as the rise took place has its side effects are so dramatic.

The environment has long since grown more the pace of economic growth. The air is so dirty that it is almost not worth giving up smoking. A recently published study of a Chinese university says that on some days the breathing Beijing air equivalent to smoking a pack of cigarettes.

In many large cities the air is even worse. 70 percent of the rivers and lakes should also be heavily loaded – and with them the groundwater. This makes the people and animals sick, and it poisoned the fruits and vegetables because farmers tilt the poison broth to their fields. It is a brutally high price paid for the land for its dynamism

This is a downright absurd situation arose. Developed China and wears practically the same. The situation resembles a soccer ball while pressing when two players compete simultaneously against the ball. When it runs out very badly, then both kickers are injured on the ground. For the People’s Republic, there can be only one way out: You have to grow and moderate human and environmental future to include more

The problem is not that no one knew what to do against pollution.. China’s environmental protection law consists of 47 articles that provide a meticulous guide when dealing with nature. The necessary technology gives the People’s Republic abroad. Rare earth could be, for example, break down at much lower damage to man and nature. Modern extraction methods separate the metals efficiently from the rock. But too few people care about laws, regulations or environmentally friendly alternatives.

China is corrupt through and through, even if the Communist Party promises for years to fight corruption. What is poured into national law in Beijing, interested in the provinces is limited. If an enterprising entrepreneur somewhere would quickly and cheaply reduce rare earths in the country, it makes the district officials an irresistible offer – and henceforth can circumvent environmental laws. Tons of highly toxic sludge is dumped into rivers or lakes. Beijing finds out in the rarest of cases.

The country’s government has not the people to convey that it comes to the welfare of all the growth. Many Chinese do not see why they should give up a whopping revenue, while others rake in a fortune. This is the result of a mindset that exists even within the ruling elite “. Developed countries have become rich, now it’s our turn”

Psychologically this is perhaps understandable, rational but a great error. First, the consumer sends the wrong signal to 1.3 billion people who need to learn the Express method actually cautiously deal with resources. Second, the Chinese harm with their ruthlessness towards the environment in the first place itself, and only then the rest of the world.

China is at a turning point, but if the party can show a new direction, is doubtful. It is in a bind: they are not going to the environmental problems that citizens will go to the barricades. Even now, the party feels increasing pressure as more and more people desire to prevent pollution of their land and water. Their anger is directed against a leadership that has so far not succeeded in putting a sustainable growth concept. However, if they address the issues and it sacrifices a part of economic growth, many people are unemployed and can not feed their families. The consequence of this are also social unrest.

No matter how the party responds, her days as Machtmonopolistin probably numbered. This is the crux of a government whose leadership is legitimized only by a rising GDP. <- AUTHOR MARKER DATA BEGIN -> ( Marcel Grzanna ) / <- RSPEAK_STOP - > (bsc)
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This text is the magazine issue 03/2013 Technology Review removed. The booklet can, just like the current issue, be ordered online here.