Toxic Rivers, Cancer Villages - China's Environmental Conditions Stunning

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"Despite the increasing problems sparked by 25 years of rapid economic growth, China's spending on environmental protection will fall 30 percent short of targets for 2001-2005, state media reported in March. China is already the second worst country in the world in terms of emissions of greenhouse gases and is expected to surpass the United States as the biggest within 10 years, environmentalists have said.

As more factories are being built, not only are they emitting dangerous substances into the air, they are also discharging harmful chemicals and waste into the country's water systems. Most of China's large waterways -- including its seven biggest rivers and 25 out of its 27 major lakes -- are polluted, some seriously, SEPA said.

"Many rivers are undrinkable. Not only that, many cannot be used even for irrigation anymore," said Sze Pang Cheung, acting campaign director for Greenpeace China. He blamed the problem on local officials, some bribed, who turn a blind eye to polluters to spur economic growth. "At the moment, if local officials want to keep their job or be promoted, it comes to how much GDP they can create. So they often carry out economic development at the expense of environmental protection," said Sze.

Along China's Huaihe River, for example, people are already discovering "cancer villages" caused by the pollution.

Consumption in urban areas is also a big problem. Statistics showed only one-third of the sewage and about 57 percent of the garbage generated in cities was being treated, according to the annual report."

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http://www.terradaily.com/2005/050603034621.8vu58a9a.html