Energizing China: Reconciling Environmental Protection and Economic Growth.

• Author: Ford, Allyson
• Position: Review

Energizing China: Reconciling Environmental Protection and Economic Growth

Michael B. McElroy, Chris P. Nielson and Peter Lydon (eds.) (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1998) 596 pp.

In recent years awareness of the environmental costs of producing energy, and concerns about climate change in particular, have increased interest in environmentally sustainable sources of energy Although some scientists question whether significant climate change is taking place, the growing consensus is that the Earth's average temperature will increase by 2 to 9 degrees Fahrenheit over the next 50 years. If policymakers wait until the consequences of global warming become evident, it might be too late to take corrective action. Thus the link between energy policies and environmental conditions needs to be examined.

As the world's most populous nation, China is currently responsible for one-tenth of the world's carbon dioxide emissions. As a result, Chinese actions have a large impact on the global environment. In Energizing China: Reconciling Environmental Protection and Economic Growth, editors Michael McElroy, Chris P. Nielsen and Peter Lydon present a collection of studies of China's energy consumption undertaken by the Harvard University Committee on Environment. The volume focuses on energy-derived air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and is especially concerned with two issues: international climate change and the health hazards of domestic air pollution.

Energizing China examines the topics of energy and emissions, the environment and public health and energy and the economy, all within domestic and international contexts. The book aims to show why China should change its current energy policy, which, if unaltered, will exacerbate environmental decay The challenge it faces is making a persuasive argument for change in the face of China's current economic needs.

The context in which China's energy policies are developed poses both challenges and opportunities for those who want to influence them. This context consists of three factors: rapid economic growth, reliance on coal and the country's continued status as a developing country. High rates of economic growth--a dramatic 7 percent average annual increase in gross national product over the last 15 years--have had a profound effect on the country's energy demand. Although China's economic growth has outpaced the rise in energy consumption since the late 1970s, economic growth has...