Environment of China

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Satellite image of China.

The

environment of China (Chinese: 中国的环境) comprises diverse biotas, climates, and geologies. Rapid industrialization, population growth, and lax environmental oversight have caused many environmental issues and large-scale pollution.[1]

Geology

This section is an excerpt from Geology of China.[edit]
Clockwise from upper left: Li River karst, Mount Everest's north face, loess landscape in Datong and Zhangye National Geopark.

The

People's Republic of China) consists of three Precambrian cratons surrounded by a number of orogenic belts. The modern tectonic environment is dominated by the continued collision of India with the rest of Asia starting 40–50 million years ago. This has formed the Himalayas and continues to deform most of China.[2] China has vast mineral reserves,[3] a significant earthquake risk in its western regions and rare isolated active volcanoes throughout the country.[4]

Many geological concepts were discovered very early in China's history. However, it was not until the adoption of European natural science in the late 19th century that geology became a science in China.[5]

Biota

Wildlife

This section is an excerpt from Wildlife of China.[edit]
The giant panda is endemic to China, where it is an endangered and protected species.
The snub-nosed monkey, another endangered and endemic species

vertebrates including 4,936 fish, 1,269 bird, 562 mammal, 403 reptile and 346 amphibian species.[7] In terms of the number of species, China ranks third in the world in mammals,[8] eighth in birds,[9] seventh in reptiles[10] and seventh in amphibians.[11]

Many species of animals are endemic to China, including the country's most famous wildlife species, the giant panda. In all, about one-sixth of mammal species and two-thirds of amphibian species in China are endemic to the country.[8][11]

Wildlife in China share habitat with and bear acute pressure from the world's largest population of
nature reserves, covering a total area of 149.95 million hectares (578,960 square miles), about 15 percent of China's total land area.[13]
Panda in Sichuan.

Flora

This section is an excerpt from Flora of China.[edit]
Overlooking Lake Ximencuo on the Tibetan Plateau
Xishuangbanna Primeval Forest Park
The flora of
fungi and 3000 species of bryophytes.[14][15][16] More than 30,000 plant species are native to China, representing nearly one-eighth of the world's total plant species, including thousands found nowhere else on Earth. China's land, extending over 9.6 million km, contains a variety of ecosystems and climates for plants to grow in. Some of the main climates include shores, tropical and subtropical forests, deserts, elevated plateaus and mountains. The events of the continental drift and early Paleozoic Caledonian movement also play a part in creating climatic and geographical diversity resulting in high levels of endemic vascular flora.[17] These landscapes provide different ecosystems and climates for plants to grow in, creating a wide variety of different flora spanning over not just China, but different parts of the world.[18]

Climate

This section is an excerpt from Geography of China § Climate.[edit]
Köppen climate
types of China

Owing to tremendous differences in latitude, longitude, and altitude, the

Siberian anticyclone
dominates during winter, bringing cold and comparatively dry conditions. The advance and retreat of the monsoons account in large degree for the timing of the rainy season throughout the country. Although most of the country lies in the temperate belt, its climatic patterns are complex.

The northern extremities of both

Mohe County
, Heilongjiang has a 24-hour average temperature in January approaching −30 °C (−22 °F), while the corresponding figure in July exceeds 18 °C (64 °F). By contrast, most of Hainan has a January mean in excess of 17 °C (63 °F), while the July mean there is generally above 28 °C (82 °F).

Precipitation is almost invariably concentrated in the warmer months, though annual totals range from less than 20 millimetres (0.8 in) in northwestern Qinghai and the Turpan Depression of Xinjiang to easily exceeding 2,000 millimetres (79 in) in Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan. Only in some pockets of the Dzungaria
region of Xinjiang is the conspicuous seasonal variation in precipitation that defines Chinese (and, to a large extent, East Asian) climate absent.

Annual sunshine duration ranges from less than 1,100 hours in parts of Sichuan and Chongqing to over 3,400 hours in northwestern Qinghai. Seasonal patterns in sunshine vary considerably by region, but overall, the north and the Tibetan Plateau are sunnier than the south of the country.

  • The average annual precipitation in China and Taiwan
    The average annual
    precipitation in China and Taiwan
  • Early-season snow covering part of the North China Plain near Shijiazhuang, Hebei
    Early-season snow covering part of the North China Plain near Shijiazhuang, Hebei
  • Snow encircling the area around the Bo Hai
    Snow encircling the area around the Bo Hai
  • The first day of spring 2010 brought a massive sandstorm blowing from Inner Mongolia
    The first day of spring 2010 brought a massive sandstorm blowing from Inner Mongolia
  • On November 11, 2010, a wall of sand blew across northern China, covering much of the North China Plain and Shandong Peninsula.
    On November 11, 2010, a wall of sand blew across northern China, covering much of the North China Plain and Shandong Peninsula.
  • Smog from Eastern China spread over neighboring areas in February 2004.
    Smog from Eastern China spread over neighboring areas in February 2004.
  • Haze over the North China Plain and the Lüliang Mountains of Shanxi
    Haze over the North China Plain and the Lüliang Mountains of Shanxi
  • Natural color satellite image of a smog event in the heart of northern China
    Natural color satellite image of a smog event in the heart of northern China
  • Dense smog settled over the North China Plain on February 20, 2011.
    Dense smog settled over the North China Plain on February 20, 2011.

Climate change

This section is an excerpt from Climate change in China.[edit]
Warming stripes of China between 1901 and 2019

per-capita basis, China's carbon emissions are considerably less than countries like the United States.[21] It has also been noted that higher-income countries have outsourced emissions-intensive industries to China.[22][23] On the basis of cumulative CO2 emissions measured from 1751 through to 2017, China is responsible for 13% globally and about half of the United States' cumulative emissions.[24][25] China is now the world's largest polluter and in 2023 recorded it's hottest year on record with an average temperature of 10.7 C.[26]

China is suffering from the negative
carbon neutral by 2060 by adopting "more vigorous policies and measures."[27] The GHG emissions of China will probably peak in 2025, and by 2030 they will return to 2022 levels. However, such pathway still leads to 3 degree temperature rise.[28]

Protected areas of China

This section is an excerpt from List of protected areas of China.[edit]

This is a list of the nationally designated

delimitation
and declaration of "basic farmland protection area" and "basic grassland".

Take note that many
protected areas in China
have multiple official designations, and the statutory boundaries of these multi-designated PAs may be identical or may vary one from the other. For instance, the boundaries of Huangshan NSHA coincide with those of the Huangshan NGP, whereas Fujian province's Wuyi Mountains NNR, NSHA and NFP are adjacent to each other. In Heilongjiang, 27,642.14 hectares out of 115,340.27 hectares of Huzhong NFP are intersected with the experiment zone of Huzhong NNR.

Environmental issues

Main article: Environmental issues in China
Yangtze River
electric bicycles

Rapid industrialization, population growth, and lax environmental oversight have caused many environmental issues, such as large-scale pollution in China.[29] As of 2013, Beijing, which lies in a topographic bowl, has significant industry, and heats with coal, is subject to air inversions resulting in extremely high levels of pollution in winter months.[30]

In January 2013, fine airborne particulates that pose the largest health risks, rose as high as 993 micrograms per cubic meter in Beijing, compared with World Health Organization guidelines of no more than 25. The World Bank estimates that 16 of the world's most-polluted cities are located in China.[31]

According to Jared Diamond, the six main categories of environmental problems of China are: air pollution, water problems, soil problems, habitat destruction, biodiversity loss and mega projects.[32] Diamond also states that, "China is noted for the frequency, number, extent, and damage of its natural disasters".[32]

Many of the Chinese citizens started to wonder if air pollution is the cause of the increase of lung cancer. This question began to rise because the citizens in China must constantly wear face masks to avoid breathing in the hazardous particles from their polluted skies. Some experts agree that it is the reason, but others say there isn't enough evidence. Wang Ning, deputy director of the Beijing Office for Prevention and Control, says he has seen a rise in a certain cancer called adenicarcinoma, which is a mucus that is seen as a side effect from pollution. China's lung cancer rate is 32% of the entire world's lung cancer patients. Meanwhile, as lung cancer increases, gastric, esophageal, and cervical cancer have all decreased in China.[33]

See also

References

  1. ^ Edward Wong (21 March 2013). "As Pollution Worsens in China, Solutions Succumb to Infighting". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  2. ^ "Asia - Geologic history". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 8 April 2019.
  3. ^ "Land and Mineral Resources". www.china.org.cn. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  4. doi:10.1306/3D9336BA-16B1-11D7-8645000102C1865D
    .
  5. JSTOR 24136865
    .
  6. ^ "Biodiversity Theme Report". Environment.gov.au. 2009. Archived from the original on 8 December 2008. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  7. ^ "China: vertebrate species by type 2015 - Statistic". Statista.com. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  8. ^ a b IUCN Initiatives – Mammals – Analysis of Data – Geographic Patterns 2012. IUCN. Retrieved 24 April 2013. Data does not include species in Taiwan.
  9. ^ Countries with the most bird species. Mongabay.com. 2004 data. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  10. ^ Countries with the most reptile species. Mongabay.com. 2004 data. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  11. ^ a b IUCN Initiatives – Amphibians – Analysis of Data – Geographic Patterns 2012. IUCN. Retrieved 24 April 2013. Data does not include species in Taiwan.
  12. ^ Top 20 countries with most endangered species IUCN Red List. 5 March 2010. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  13. ^ "Nature Reserves". China.org.cn. Retrieved 2 December 2013.
  14. ^ Wu, Z. Y., P. H. Raven & D. Y. Hong, eds. 2006. Flora of China. Vol. 22 (Poaceae). Science Press, Beijing, and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis
  15. ^ Fang, R., et al. (2018). Country focus: China. In: K. J. Willis (ed.), State of the World's Fungi. Report. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. pp. 48–55
  16. ^ Hu, R (1990). Distribution of Bryophytes in China (PDF).
  17. ^ Huang J, Ma K, Huang J (2017). Species Diversity Distribution Patterns of Chinese Endemic Seed Plants Based on Geographical Regions. PLoS ONE 12(1): e0170276 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0170276
  18. ^ Hong, D. Y., & Blackmore, S. (Eds.). (2015). Plants of China: A companion to the flora of China. Cambridge University Press
  19. ^ World Bank. "China Country Climate and Development Report" (PDF).
  20. ^ "China National communication 3: Part III Impacts of Climate Change and Adaptation". unfccc.int. Archived from the original on 14 November 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  21. ^ "DataBank - CO2 emissions (metric tons per capita)". The World Bank. Archived from the original on 3 October 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  22. S2CID 156212231. Archived
    from the original on 24 July 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2021. high-income resource-poor nations such as the United Kingdom, Germany and France (...) outsource carbon-intensive production to China
  23. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived
    from the original on 25 July 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  24. ^ "Who has contributed most to global CO2 emissions?". Our World in Data. Archived from the original on 25 October 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  25. ^ "The hard truths of climate change — by the numbers". www.nature.com. Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  26. ^ Regan, Helen (5 January 2024). "2023 was China's hottest year on record, marked by multiple deadly extreme weather events". CNN. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  27. ^ "Climate change: China aims for 'carbon neutrality by 2060'". BBC News. 22 September 2020. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
  28. ^ Lui, Swithin (19 May 2022). "Guest post: Why China is set to significantly overachieve its 2030 climate goals". Carbon Brief. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  29. ^ Edward Wong (29 March 2013). "Cost of Environmental Damage in China Growing Rapidly Amid Industrialization". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
  30. ^ "2 Major Air Pollutants Increase in Beijing". The New York Times. 3 April 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  31. ^ Bloomberg News (14 January 2013). "Beijing Orders Official Cars Off Roads to Curb Pollution". Bloomberg. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  32. ^
    ISBN 9780241958681
    ). See chapter 12 entitled "China, Lurching Giant" (pages 258-377).
  33. ^ Burkitt, Laurie (10 March 2014). "Pollution: Causing Lung Cancer in China?". WSJ. Retrieved 5 May 2017.

Further reading

  • Elvin, Mark. The retreat of the elephants: an environmental history of China (Yale University Press, 2004). excerpt
  • Heijdra, Martin. "Texts, Space and Time: New Insights into Chinese Environmental History." Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient 42.4 (1999): 549-565.
  • Maohong, Bao. "Environmental history in China." Environment and History (2004): 475-499. online
  • Marks, Robert B. China: An environmental history (Rowman & Littlefield, 2017). excerpt


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