Comments on: Butterfingers in China

By: AlanC

AlanC — Sat, 26 Nov 2005 14:37:16 +0000

Terrye,

30+ years ago I wrote my paper for my Senior Seminar (Poli. Sci. major) on polution in the USSR and its basis in Communist economics. (Many thanks to my professor, a Russian refugee, for translating all the stuff from USSR sources)

It really is easy to show how Marxist economics is the driver behind the polution in the USSR and probably in China as well.

The key point is that according to their means of accounting, only things that have a human labor component have value; and that only to the percentage of that component. Basically this means that there are no costs associated with raw materials beyond the cost of extraction.

This led to such practices as only using the highest grade ore and chucking the rest; same with timber which, because they chucked the junk in the nearest river, ruined the sturgeon breeding grounds which killed the production of caviar, etc. etc.

Potable water was used for industrial processes that polluted it cause it had no more cost than untreated water.

Only government can control pollution of those resources (primarily air and water) which are not susceptible of private ownership.

By: Lola

Lola — Sat, 26 Nov 2005 10:55:42 +0000

And there’s that great dam that is supposed to help control Yangtze River. I know it’s supposed to have been built to exacting standards, but considering the shoddy construction of buildings that collapse when this shouldn’t have happened and rampant corruption, I just don’t believe the Chinese government’s assurances. If that dam breaks, it will truly be a catastrophe, ecological and humanitarian.

By: Terrye

Terrye — Sat, 26 Nov 2005 09:53:30 +0000

It seems to be the norm with old communists…just look at the Soviet Union, they were not famous for their environmental bonafides.

By: Steven

Steven — Sat, 26 Nov 2005 07:00:39 +0000

Roger,

I haven’t seen this point in the news, but Harbin is the site of the famous Snow and Ice Festival, which opens in early January every year. R. Todd King’s great pictures of the event are here: http://www.rtoddking.com/chinawin2003_hb_if.htm

This is a really important tourist event, and the local economy has a lot invested in its success. I can’t imagine many visitors will be going to Harbin to play in the snow, knowing the area will be dealing with contamination.

Oh, and Roger (I write this for all you southern Californians), that white stuff on the ground is called, “snow.” It’s kind of like the ice in a margarita, but without the kick. Incidentally, regarding King’s photos: Most of the ice that they use to build those fantastic ice monuments comes from the nearby river.

By: Foobarista

Foobarista — Sat, 26 Nov 2005 04:00:52 +0000

It would be profoundly useful if the enviro-NGOs quit worrying about CO2 emissions and started paying attention to real pollution that actually kills people. Frankly, I used to be something of an environmentalist, but starting in the late 1990s, I saw the environmental movement move from cleaning up pollution to “Stop Corporate Dominance”, various reactionary anti-science crusades, and Kyoto. They clearly were no longer serious, so I abandoned them, although I do hope that _someone_ pays attention to the toxic waste dump that is much of East Asia (in particular).

But China’s happily meeting its (nonexistent) Kyoto obligations, so I guess it’s OK…