Description
Matthew E. Kahn (economics, University of Southern California) and Siqi Zheng (Hang Lung Center for Real Estate, Tsinghua University, China) examine the negative impact of China’s economic growth on the local and global environment over the past 30 years. Drawing on interviews with Chinese citizens from various social classes, they use a micro-economics perspective to analyze decisions made by Chinese households, firms, and various levels of Chinese government. Part 1 offers a geographic overview of urban pollution in China, looking at the migration to cities, causes and consequences of Chinese suburbanization, and the demand for private vehicles in Chinese cities. Part 2 reports on the rising demand for cleaner and greener cities, and Part 3 describes responses of local and central government. B&w photos and maps are included. Annotation ©2016 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)
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How individuals and the government are changing life in China's polluted citiesOver the past thirty years, even as China's economy has grown by leaps and bounds, the environmental quality of its urban centers has precipitously declined due to heavy industrial output and coal consumption. The country is currently the world's largest greenhouse-gas emitter and several of the most polluted cities in the world are in China. Yet, millions of people continue moving to its cities seeking opportunities. Blue Skies over Beijing investigates the ways that China's urban development impacts local and global environmental challenges. Focusing on day-to-day choices made by the nation's citizens, families, and government, Matthew Kahn and Siqi Zheng examine how Chinese urbanites are increasingly demanding cleaner living conditions and consider where China might be headed in terms of sustainable urban growth.Kahn and Zheng delve into life in China's cities from the personal perspectives of the rich, middle class, and poor, and how they cope with the stresses of pollution. Urban parents in China have a strong desire to protect their children from environmental risk, and calls for a better quality of life from the rising middle class places pressure on government officials to support greener policies. Using the historical evolution of American cities as a comparison, the authors predict that as China's economy moves away from heavy manufacturing toward cleaner sectors, many of China's cities should experience environmental progress in upcoming decades.Looking at pressing economic and environmental issues in urban China, Blue Skies over Beijing shows that a cleaner China will mean more social stability for the nation and the world.
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