China has social/economic/environmental-running plans that go back to an era when the US was still sicking dogs on segregated African Americans. That commitment to ecological restoration following more than 30 years of industrial havoc is made clear in both their current status and on-going initiatives to move forward more sustainably. While we can talk about a "Command" economy, China is riddled w. mismanaged regulations and every other bit of trouble that comes along with a political organism this big, in a state of growth unmatched on little earth.
But they have a plan. A plan already chock full of achievements, enough so to prompt a survey wondering, "What the heck is going on w. China?" Labor? Increasingly tight. Innovation focus? We're talking renewables here, right? Vastly damaged ecosystems stewing in an miasma of population growth and good old American consumption? Of course. That's why China is self-effacing about this being its era of restoration. Get paid like crazy doing it - YES! And what do we do?
From China's 11th 5 Year Plan (ending in 2010), addressing the environment (which has its own plan): “the transformation from focusing on economic growth ignoring environmental protection into putting equal emphasis on both.The authority takes the enhancement of environmental protection as an important tool to adjust economic structure and shift economic growth mode and seek development under environmental protection.The second is the transformation from environmental protection lagging behind economic growth into the synchronization of environmental protection and economic development. .. thus changing the situation of pollution followed by treatment, or destruction going along with environmental control. The third is the transformation from mainly employing administrative methods to protect the environment into comprehensive application of legal, economic, technical and necessary administrative methods to address environmental problems.”
Wow! "Synchronization" of environmental and economic development - that's a plan. Who would ever think of the opportunities there. To think that we are in a time where we need to really take a hard look at applying our ingenuity and human-side to stopping ecological disaster. Gotta say, I think China is giving it a go.
Here's a little from there 12 th 5 Year Plan, regarding the environment:
- Non-fossil fuel to account for 11.4 percent of primary energy consumption;
- Water consumption per unit of value-added industrial output to be cut by 30 percent;
- Energy consumption per unit of GDP to be cut by 16 percent;
- Carbon dioxide emission per unit of GDP to be cut by 17 percent;
- Forest coverage rate to rise to 21.66 percent and forest stock to increase by 600 million cubic meters;
And they will make money doing this, lots of money. Why? 'Cause they got a plan, they're talking, they are suffering, too, and courageous enough to rise up. Their plan probably has a lot of soot and stuff all over it, but they got a plan. They are synchronizing. They seem good at planning.
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