Env Chapter 中国经济发展与转型（英文版） 培训讲解.pptVIP

* * * Chinese Modern Economic History Environmental Quality and Sustainability Naughton, Chapter 20 Chinese Modern Economic History There are some differences between the US and China … About the same size area, but slight difference in population ;) US has lots of arable land, not much desert, and land can be wasted. China has much less arable land, and land must be preserved. China has 5,000 years of history, with endless contributions to human culture. US has about a 300 year history, with contributions to human culture including time zones and basketball. Chinese Modern Economic History There are similarities, also. The major social issues are similar in both countries- education quality for all, health care, care for elderly, housing and pensions for retiring people. Jobs. There is one significant social issue in which the US has made great progress- that of cleaning the environment. China is still working to achieve this. This is not to say that the US has done this job well, or efficiently. But environmental concepts- from assessment of impacts to urban ecology to markets for pollution- are similar throughout the world, and we can study these ideas as developed in any country. Chinese Modern Economic History There has been much research and debate about why there was no “industrial revolution” in China in the 18th Century. Southern England and the south and east coasts of China were at similar stages of development. Why did the one suddenly begin to make more progress than the other? Now is not the time to discuss variations on the “Needham question.” But one of the arguments that is made is that China was remarkably efficient at using the available fuel to keep the economy going. Both England and China were running short of fuel, mostly wood, to grow the economy. China was more efficient than was England in using its resources, but by about 1750 had hit a “trap” - more efficient stoves and careful use of