China has had a terrible pollution problem for years now. Due to economic constraints, China felt they had to use coal as one of their major energy sources and polluted their rivers, and land. The Chinese are now having a change of heart and are deciding that green mountains and clean water are like gold which is true. So, the solution is to outsource some of their filthier businesses to other countries. China is considering roughly 80 overseas coal projects currently. China’s coal power industry is being used at less than 50% of capacity.
One of the issues is that global agencies are not happy with the amount of pollution that will be created by these plants which would contribute to carbon emissions that would contibute to global climate change. China is not solving an ecological nightmare — they are just moving it a few thousand miles away. China also outsources dirty industries to parts of Africa. Perhaps moving dirty industries to places where population density is lighter makes sense. But, why not be clean and green?
The major issue here is that certain energy industries are essential for economic growth, and certain regions of China depend on coal as their main source of revenue. But, what good is growth if you can’t breathe or drink the water? What good is growth if everyone is getting cancer? My personal philosophy is that growth is an illusion. What we really need is to live in balance and grow at the speed of nature. All of this pollution is a result of humans being in too much of a rush and trying to achieve what should be done more slowly and cleanly. Does the entire planet need to be destroyed before humans get it?